The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-12-23
STONES OF MEDICAL VALUE.
Many Minerals Have Strange Legend
airy Therapeutic Qualities.

airy Therapeutic Qualities.
The sacred, magical and curative
properties of certain stones-large ant
small-appear to have ranked among
the items of the Pseudodoxia epidem
lea, among all races and nations. and
throughout all recorded ages. The
colossal monolith and the small 'grav
en- image" of stones are well known
examples of the first of these proper
ties. Among the prominent speci
ems of the second may be noted the
items of popular medieval belief
that a diamond placed under the pill
low would notify the conjugal infdel-
lty of a wife; that the wearing of a
sapphire was a preservative against
all entertainments; that the fume of
an agate would effectually avert the
approach of a tempest; that the wear
Ing OF chrysoprase would make one
out of love with gold;" and that the
carrying about of an amethyst surely
preserved the owner from being "over-
taken" by drunkenness-an item of
belief to which the etymology of it's
name is due. To a kindred form of
credulity must be ascribed the won
drous properties which were ascribed
to China dishes. when first imported
10 Europe from the Celestial empire.
1t was confidently said of these by
Scallger and others that they admit
no poyson, that they strike fire, that
they VIII grow hot no higher than the
liquor In them ariseth." With regard
10 the curative powers of various
stones, we may seasonably quote the
remark of the celebrated author of
the "Religio Medici:" HE must have
more heads than Janus. that makes
out half of those vertues ascribed in
10 stones, and their not onely medi-
call, but Magical properties, which
are to be found in authors of great
name In Psellus, Serapion, Evax,
Albertus, Aleazar Marbodeus; in
Maiolus, Rueus, Myllus and many
other" And the same author goes on
to state some of his own opinions im>
thls connection: THAT Lapis Lazull |
hath in it purgative faculty we
know, that Bezoar is Antidotall, Lapis
Judalcus Diureticall, Coral. Antiepi- |
leptlcall, we will not deny, that Corne- |
hans, Jaspis, Heliopropes and blood |
stones. may be of vertue to those in
tenuons they are implied; experience
and visible effects will make us
doubt" And just now the fact of the
persistence of such forms of belief is
Iorclbly brought home to us by the
announcement-in a diurnal Qay)
contemporary-of the unquestioning
[alth which is placed in the efficacy of
madstones" by large proportion of
our own fellow citizens. There are
even now many of those precious tai
smans in this country; and "the be-
levers in their efficacy always know
Where the nearest one is kept" One
u them had long been the property
u an Ohio negro, and was placed af
er the death of it's owner in the State
library at Columbus There it was
ecently applied to the wound caused
y the bite of supposedly rabid dog.
The dog recovered, and the woman
Q whom it was applied died of blood
olsonlng caused by the unclean con.
act We are also informed that
uch stone was kept in the Virginia
tate penitentiary for years, and was
pen TO all corners for application to
ne bite of mad dog, or other allied
'ound. One such (perhaps the
ame) was at later date sold by auc.
on Tor $3.50. Still more famous was G
lat brought from Russia in 1887 by a
nyslc1an OF that country who settled i
| Nevada. 1t had previously been '
xplolted in that country for at least a |
entury and a half-a fact supported y y
documentary evidence The docu. h
lent was written in native Russian; t
"a, as nobody concerned could read I
i, everybody implicitly believed what "
ley were told of it. The owner Of D
RED the stone for sale for $500. and is
joint stock company was formed n
# the purchase. A thousand share q
olders advanced 81 each. and the n
llance was made up by farmer who Y
9came its keeper when the purchase u
as completed It's fame still -four "
hes, and it is said that an offer of Ell
600 has been refused for it.-Ameri Il
n Medicine. 10