Travelogues from the Rainforest: Notes on Prof. Otto Sticherʼs 85th birthday

Instead of following the cherished tradition of publishing a scientific paper to honor Professor Otto Sticher, my doctoral adviser, on his 85th birthday, I want to share the story of his remarkable visit to the inhospitable Venezuelan rainforest, where I was conducting my research. More than any new scientific finding, this account will pay tribute to the man who became the father of the most influential German textbook and some of the most essential scientific work of our time in the field of pharmacognosy.

Publication History

Article published online:
11 November 2021

• References

• 1 Hänsel R, Sticher O. Hrsg. Pharmakognosie Phytopharmazie, 9th edition. Heidelberg: Springer Medizin; 2010
• 2 Gertsch J, Stauffer F, Narváez A, Sticher O. Use and significance of palms (Arecaceae) among the Yanomami in southern Venezuela. J Ethnobiol 2002; 22: 19
• 3 Tabuas M. Ministry of Environment authorises Swiss university to use genetic resources from Yanomami lands. Accessed July 30, 2021 at: https://grain.org/en/article/2050-swiss-bioprospecting-denounced-in-venezuela
• 4 Good K, Chanoff D. Into the heart: One manʼs pursuit of love and knowledge among the Yanomama. New York: Simões & Schuster; 1991
• 5 Gertsch J, Niomawë. Gertsch-Roost K, Sticher O. Phyllanthus piscatorum, ethnopharmacological studies on a womenʼs medicinal plant of the Yanomami Amerindians. J Ethnopharmacol 2004; 91: 181-188
• 6 Sagen AL, Gertsch J, Becker R, Heilmann J, Sticher O. Quinolizidine alkaloids from the curare adjuvant Clathrotropis glaucophylla . Phytochemistry 2002; 61: 975-978
• 7 Gertsch J. From ethnobotany to molecular pharmacognosy: a transdisciplinary approach. [PhD Thesis No 14791]. ETH Zürich; 2002 Accessed July 30, 2021 at: https://www.research-collection.ethz.ch/handle/20.500.11850/147020
• 8 Gertsch J, Tobler RT, Brun R, Sticher O, Heilmann J. Antifungal, antiprotozoal, cytotoxic and piscicidal properties of Justicidin B and a new arylnaphthalide lignan from Phyllanthus piscatorum . Planta Med 2003; 69: 420-424
• 9 Ehrlich J, Bartz QR, Smith RM, Joslyn DA, Burkholder PR. A new antibiotic from a soil actinomycete. Science 1947; 106: 417-419
• 10 Mattéi-Muller M, Serowe J. Lengua y cultura Yanomamï: Diccionario ilustrado Yanomamï-Español, Español-Yanomamï. 1st edition. Caracas: CONAC, UNESCO; 2007
• 11 Salm A, Gertsch J. Cultural perception of triatomine bugs and Chagas disease in Bolivia: a cross-sectional field study. Parasit Vectors 2019; 12: 291
• 12 Salm A, Krishnan SR, Collu M, Danton O, Hamburger M, Leonti M, Almanza G, Gertsch J. Phylobioactive hotspots in plant resources used to treat Chagas disease. iScience 2021; 24: 102310