Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1904-12-16
STONES OF MEDICAL VALUE.
Many Minerals Have Strange Legend
ary Therapeutic Qualities.


airy Therapeutic Qualities.
The sacred, magical and curative
properties of certain stones-large and
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 coniugal infidel-
ity OF wife; that the wearing of
sapphire was a preservative against
all enchantments: 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 its
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
to Europe from the Celestial empire.
1t was confidently said of these by
Scaliger and others that they admit
no poyson, that they strike fire, that
they will grow hot no higher than the
liquor in them ariseth." With regard
to 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
TO 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 in
this connection: THAT Lapis Lazull
hath in it a purgative faculty we
know, that Bezoar is Antidotall, Lapis
Judaicus Diureticall. Coral. Antiepi-
lepticall, we will not deny, that Corne-
hans, Jaspis, Heliopropes and blood
stones. may be of vertue to those in
tentions 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
forcibly brought home to us by the
announcemSnt--in a diurnal Qay)
contemporary-of the unquestioning
faith 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
lsmans in this country: and ''the be-
levers in their efficacy always know
where the nearest one is kept" One
OF them had long been the property
OF an Ohio negro, and was placed af-
ter the death of its owner in the State
library at Columbus. There 1t was
recently applied to the wound caused
by the bite of supposedly rabid dog.
The dog recovered, and the woman
to whom it was applied died of blood
poisoning caused by the unclean con-
tact. We are also informed that
such a stone was kept in the Virginia
state penitentiary for years, and was
open to all corners for application to
the bite of mad dog, or other allied
wound. One such (perhaps the
same) was at a later date sold by auc-
ton for $50. Still more famous was
that brought from Russia in 1887 by
physician of that country who settled
in Nevada. 1t had previously been
exploited in that country for at least
century and half-a fact supported
by documentary evidence The docu-
ment was written in native Russian;
and, as nobody concerned could read
1t, everybody implicitly believed what
they were told of it. The owner Of
Tered the stone for sale for $500, and
joint stock company was formed
for the purchase. A thousand share
holders advanced 81 each, and the
balance was made up by a farmer who
became its keeper when the purchase
was completed. Its fame still -four
lshes, and it is said that an offer os
$4,000 has been refused for it.-Ameri-
can Medicine.