New-York tribune., 1903-06-07

even OF mad dogs. which have recently been
accomplished both in this city and in Chicago
by means of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. which are as
serted to have the power of absorbing poisons
from wounds-that it may be timely to call at
tention the fact that for centuries past stories
have been current regarding the virtues, real or
ina ginary Of stones Of this kind While, OF
course, there is still room for scepttcism con-
cerning the reality Of the cures attributed
thereto the immense amount of literature deal
ing with the subject should be sufficient to pro
tect it from the ridicuIe which has been ex-
cited in connection herewith among a certain
element of the scientific world.
The maidstone, sometimes known as the
snakestone, is first mentioned in the Travels
in India" of Jean Baptiste Taverner, the great
Oriental traveller of the seventeenth century.
who describes II as being oval IN shape, thick
in the middle becoming thin toward the edges.
He writes as follows: THE Indians say that 1t
grows the heads Of certain snakes. But 1
should rather believe that it is the priests or
the idolaters who make them think so, and that
this stone is a composition which is made OF
certain drugs. Whatever it may be, it has an
excellent virtue in extracting all the poison
when has been bitten by poisonous animal.
If the part bitten is not punctured it is neces-
sary to make an incision that the blood may
thereto it adheres and does not fall until it has
extracted all the venom, which is drawn to 1t.
In order to clean it. it is stepped in wonlans
milk. or, in default Of it, in the milk Of a COW,
and after having been thus STEPPED for ten or
twelve hours, the milk, which has absorbed all
the venom, assumes the color of matter (pus).
One day when I dined with the Archbishop of
Goa he took me into his museum, where he had
many curiosities. Among other things, he
showed me one Of these stones, and, in telling
me Of its properties assured me that it was but
three days since he had made a trial of It. after
which he presented 1t to me. AS he traversed
q marsh on the island of Salsetto, upon which
Goa is situated, on his way to q house In the
country, one OF his palanquin bearers. who was
almost naked was bitten by a serpent. and was
at cured by this stone I have bought
many Of them and it is that which makes me
think that they make them. You employ two
methods to ascertain If the snakestone is good
and that there is no fraud. The first is by plac
ing the stone in the mouth For then, If it is
good it attaches itself Immediately to the
palate. The other is to place 1t in glassful
Of water, and Immediately, if it is genuine the
water begins to boil"
Thevenot in his Voyages" likewise describes
the snakestone and discourses exnaustively on
the subject Indeed, there few writer's on
Eastern India during the last two hundred years
who have not devoted attention to these stones.
all of them declaring that the belief in their
efficacy is very general throughout Hindustan.
rot only among the NATIVES, but also among the
white population. The annals Of the Roman
Catholic missions likewise contain numerous ac-
counts duly authenticated. of cures effected by
the snakestones mentioning them as an tnfaln-
bic remedy for the bites and stings of all sorts
of venomous reptiles and animals, and likewise
for wounds made by poisoned arrows.
There is every reason to believe that the So
called snakestone or maidstone is not exclusive
" an Indian product. According to DR.. George
Frederick Kunz who has made a special study
of the subject, the so-called maidstone is nothing
else than tabasheer, well known to mineralo-
gists Tabasheer is a variety of opal that is to
be found in the Joints OF certain species OF
bamboo in Hindustan, Burmah and South
America. It is originally Juice, which, by
evaporation. changes into a mucilaginous state
and then becomes solid substance. 1t ranges
from translucent to opaque in color, and upon
fracture il breaks into regular pieces, like starch
DR.. KunZ declares that, with regard to IaVer-
nier's account OF the maidstone clinging to the
palate and causing water TO boil when i'm
naersed, tabasheer has the property Of strong
ly adhering to the tongue and when put INTO
water emits rapid streams Of minute bubbles
OF air II is almost Identical with an organic
product found by Arnold Hague In the geysers
of the Yellowstone Park and which has received
the name Of Colorado hydrophane. The latter
like tabasheer, has an extraordinary capacity for
the absorption of fluid. and this undoubtedly
renders 1t efficacious for the purpose of absorb
ing poison from q wound, providing the latter
is open enough It may be added that tabasheer,
formerly known tabixir was known ana
used in Persia by the principal physicians OF
the rulers Of that empire as far back as IN the
tenth century of our era Indeed, tabasheer
plays a very important part in the medicine o.
the Middle Ages.
In conclusion 1t may be mentioned that Ia
basheer, its various properties and Its history
constitutes the subject Of a remarkable work
published by DR.. Ernst Huth in Berlin In 1885,
and that much concerning the subject. as wei
as about the Colorado hYdrophana ana lis