The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-04-08
HARD MEDICINES.
Jewels As Cures for Various Diseases
Costly Remedies and Preventives.

Although popularity supposed to be
itself deadly poison. the diamond has
from remote ages been credited with
the power of protecting the wearer
from the evil effects of other poisons, q
reputation which it retained until COM
paratively recent times According to
Pliny it also keeps off insanity. Am
Der, too. was supposed to possess the
latter virtue. Besides the diamond sew
eral other stones were supposed to pos
sess medicinal virtues.
The ruby was considered good for de-
rangement of the liver, as we'll as for
bad eyes
The sapphire and emerald were also
credited with properties which rendered
them capable of influencing opthalmic
disorders, and there is a superstitious
belief that serpents are blinded by
looking at the latter stone.
The turquoise, although not credited
with either remedial of protective prop
critics, so far as disease was concerned,
was nevertheless regarded as kind of
sympathetic indica tor, the intensity of
its color being supposed to fuctuate
with the health of the wearer. The
latter, moreover, by virtue of the stone
he carried, could, it was said, fall from
a height with inpunity. The marquis
of Vilenas fool, however, was some
what nearer the truth when no reversed
the popular superstition in his asser-
ton that the wearer of q turquoise
might fall from the top of high tower
and be dashed to pieces without break
ing stone.
The opal was looked upon as q
thunder stone, and, although many
women now appear to have strong SUI
perstitious prejudice against wearing
one, it was in bygone days held in the
hig hest estimation, for it was supposed
to combine the virtues of several other
gems.
On the other hand the onyx - so
named on account of it's resem alliance to
the color of the fnger-nails - could
scarcely have been a nice stone to
wear; for, according to medieval super
stition, it rendered one particularly sus-
ceptible to annoyance from nightmares
and demons
Temperance advocates, il they have
any regard for the belief Of the Greeks
and Romans, might seriously consider
the advisability of distributing anne
thvsts among drunkards, for it was
supposed that these stones prevented
| intoxication.
Coral was made use of by the Romans
as protection against the evil eye, and
popular superstition has credited the
topaz with the power Of depriving boil.
ing water of it's heat.
Perhaps the most wonderful proper
ties, however, were ascribed to the
chimerical stones which many creatures
were supposed to carry in their heads.
Most of our readers have, no doubt,
heard OF the precious jewel which the
toad carries in his brain-box, and So
called toad-stones, which were in
reality the teeth of fossil fish,
were formerly worn in finger rings
as protection against poison. 1t
was thought that the best stones were
those voluntarily elected by the living
toads; but as the latter were not adj
dicted to freely giving up their treas
ures in that way it was necessary to
procure the coveted articles by other
means, and the recognized method was
to decapitate the hapless batracan at
the instant he swallowed his breath.
The feat naturally demanded consider
able celebrity, such as could only be &C.
quired by considerable practice; and it
was not ur reasonable, therefore, to as
sumo that, although the endeavors to
gain possession Of the jewels were per-
hsps numerous, they must invariably
have been unsatisfactory, especially to
the toads
The eagle-stone was considered an
excellent thing to wear during preg-
nancy, and the swallow carried in its
stomach stones of great medicinal value
The brain of the tortoise was sup
posed to contain a wonderful stone,
which was efficacious in extinguishin g
fire, and when placed under the tongue
would produce prophetic inspiration.
Another stone possessing the latter
property was found to be in the eye of
the hyena
The head OF a cat, however, was
thought to contain what would I'M
oubtedly have been the most wonder
full and most desira BILE treasure of all.
could it only. have had real instc I'd OF
an imaginary existence, for that man
who was so fortunate as to possess this
precious stone would have all his wishes
granted. Queries Magazine.