SPERM WHALE

20th January 2024

QUOTATION

But I remember, when the fight was done,

When I was dry with rage and extreme toil,

Breathless and faint, leaning upon my sword,

Came there a certain lord, neat and trimly dressed,

…

And telling me the sovereignest thing on Earth

Was parmacety for an inward bruise,

HOTSPUR: Henry IV, Part 1, Act 1, Scene 3

SPERM WHALE (Physeter macrocephalus)

This reference in Henry IV Part I is to the medicinal properties of Spermaceti, the substance in the head of the Sperm Whale. The oily and waxy substances were used for medicinal compounds and also fuel for lighting.

Sperm Whales have extremely large heads and spend much of their time in the deep ocean. Sperm Whales were commercially hunted for centuries and their numbers were declining rapidly until the International Whaling Commision (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986. Sperm Whales are still threatened by pollution (toxic chemicals from plastics), Fishing Gear and Noise Pollution. They have a global threat classification of VU (Vulnerable) in the IUCN Red List.

More Information

Harvard History of the Study of Medicine: Spermaceti

Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust: Sperm Whale

IUCN Global Red List: Sperm Whale

ORCA: Sperm Whale

UK Parliament 2023: Protecting Marine Mammals in the UK and Abroad

Whale and Dolphin Conservation: Sperm Whale