The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-08
nGADsroxEs AND THEIR Mxoyo
Was Tssasheer the East India. s.., VA.
ofTavernlerp

| Was Tasasheer the East ipd,s. s..,. w.,
cfTsverniert
For centuries many accounts have beo, 49,.
rent regarding the virtues. real or imnein...
Of certain bodies known as snake stones a..
madstones. which are asserted to hnys ~,
power OF absorbing poisons from wonnas
| The literature OF 200 years ago contains "a,
erences to these substances; and even ~ ~.
some persons have lingering belief in th.s n.y.
efficacy The subject Is curious ono ons
brief account Of 1t may be OF interest, ny
ticulnrly OF the origin and Identification O, ~,
| OF these peculiar bodies-
jean Baptlste Tavernier. the great Or,or..,
| traveller OF the seventeenth century in NJ.
Travels In India" tsee DR.. Valentine D,lr,
translation In two volumes-Tondon and No.
York. 1889. pages Xxx. 400; XIX, 400 snys.",
| will finally make mention Of the snake sto,.
which Is nearly Of the size OF q double ,oub,oo,
| 10 Spanish gold coinh some OF them tcndinst.
an oval shape. being thick in the middle ana
becoming thin toward tho edges, Tho Indian,
| say that II grows on the heads of certain
snakes. but I should rather believe that 4 I.
the priests Of the idolaters who make than
think 80. and that this stone Is compostor
which is made Of certain drugs. Whatever 4
may be. It has an excellent virtue in cStractl,.
all the poison when one has been bitten b1s
poisonous animal. II tho part bitten ia No,
punctured tits necessary to make an inclslonso
that the blood may now; and whom the stons
has been applied to II, It does not fall of unni
It has extracted all tho venom. which Ia drawn
to 1t. In order to clean It It is stepped In WON,
ans milk. or In default Of It, In that ola COW.
and after having been stepped for ten or twelys
hours. the milk. which has absorbed all thu
venom assumes the color OF matter. One dav
when dined with the Archbishop Of Goa, h.
took me into his museum. whore he had many
curiosities. Among other things no showed
mo one OF these stones. and in telling mo Of ia
properties assured me that 1t was but thrss
days since he had made trial OF it, after
which he presented 1t to me. As he traversed
. marsh on the island OF Salsete. upon
which Goa is situated. on his way to a housein
the country. one Of his palanquin bearers. who
was almost naked. was bitten by serpent
and was at once cured by this stone have
bought many Of them. and it is that which
makes mo think that they make them. You
employ two methods to ascertain II the snake
stone is good and that there Is no fraud Tho
arst is BY placing the s stone IN the mouth, for
tbe pas a1d athee
is genuine the water beg ,ns TO boil" ''''' Il
n made S Se eses
root Of certain plant mixed with a particular
Hs e. clay so IN sn4se stones
Barne Anglo ae indian aloSsars I The 6e aIsi
snsr hsy sa S nd
hsqd 81 tSe adi1tant Bird. tsee jungle Lie
in lsnesepp aE Eed ~ describe, IN bis r1,.
menta !" sAmsterdam iGs5. pages to 3. Il.
extraordinary hsailng powers attrbu,sd to
ponta, called BY the French ",coDras %
GHapello." found throughout Hindostan and
s'h 81 India TfHas stones rs%sdS gre sP I'D
GUS reptiles 81 animals. and likewise for
peats tho usual tales Of their adherins power:
fpy when to the bite and
@al sound ana Tres. Then follows Tho account unit
ssiHi"E and Green Thsss. xesdssiq pt stsSss
Rs Sc Gsso hs% hsn
w9 to bsye Rut entire faith In th
sne sRe
hin !. 's and prove to medical men thst
book u that certain medicines attract poison
as the magnet does iron. For this purpose
for 49, was but
none could at that time be obtained. as they
had not amarCed from their winter uuarfarR
An experiment YVES therefore substituted. after
much consultation among the learned men Of
the Academy OF Pisa. wfereby oil Of tobacco
was introduced into the log OF q rooster. This
substa nces, and was administered byimprecna.
ting thread with It to the width OF four fingers
and drawing Il through the Dnpctured wo,ind.
One Of the monks forthwith applied The stone.
which behayed in the regular manner de"
soribed. The Siri did not recover. INT Il sur.
vlved eight hours, to the admiration of the
monks md other snectators al the exnrriment
:l.edi states that be himself possessed some
one Of the most learned herbaiists Of Pisa.
form. varying somewhat in size. but in general
about as large as farthins more t or less a' IN
at times With reddish iustrs: others whtte.
both" &a '"' "''', ''A "'A' N"o VI 'n' s''' "
Up to the present time no one has q rarenty
identified what Tayernier referred to In speak
ing OF snake stone It however. occurred to
the writer. after receiving Quantity OF tabs-
Survey OF india who ohfained II MT the i,nzaar
OF the Caiautta fair All IN Novemher ~ 1sss thst
Tabasheer Is a variety OF opal that is found IN
!, - ~.