【摘要】 硒学术界普遍认为《马可波罗游记》中记载的中国西部牲畜毒草中毒是人类历史上最早对“硒中毒”的描述,但至今没有可靠的科学依据。为了澄清这一历史科学问题,笔者对河西走廊草原牧区正在流行的牲畜中毒地方病进行了野外调查,分析了该区草原生态环境植物、土壤中硒的含量。结果表明:①棘豆植物是马可波罗记载的引起牲畜中毒的毒草;②棘豆植物根部土壤与世界平均土壤硒含量相近;③棘豆属毒草硒含量远低于能导致一般动物中毒的3 mg/kg植物硒风险值。由此推断,引起《马可波罗游记》中记载的中国西部肃州牲畜毒草中毒并非硒中毒,中毒的原因是棘豆植物中的生物碱成分苦马豆素(Swainsonine)。更多还原

【Abstract】 Such a viewpoint has always been prevailing in selenium academic field for many years that the livestock poisoning due to having eaten poisonous grass is referred to as selenosis,which happened in Suzhou of Northwest China,recorded in 〈The Travel of Marco Polo〉 during the 13^th century.However,even up to now,there has not been sufficient scientific evidence suggesting that the livestock poisoning is indeed a case of selenosis.In order to clarify the historic problem of whether livestock poisoning recorded by Marco Polo in 1295,is selenosis or not,the present study surveyed endemic livestock poisoning which has been prevailing in the Hexi Corridor in recent years,and the environmental geochemistry background of Se in Sunan County,the Hexi Corridor,which belongs to a part of Suzhou in ancient China.The results of investigation indicate:（1） the toxic grass which had caused Marco Polo’s horses to be poisoned could be Oxytropic;（2） the average Se content in soils where Oxytropic grew is close to the mean value of the world soil;（3） Se level in Oxytropis is much lower than the threshold of 3.0 mg/kg to cause most farm animals to bepoisoned.As a result,it is concluded that livestock poisoning,which happened in Suzhou,Northwest China,recorded by Marco Polo in 〈The Travels of Marco Polo〉 might not be selenosis,but the poisoning caused by toxic alkaloid components（Swainsonine） in Oxytropis.更多还原