Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-08
STONES OF MEDICAL VALUE.
Many Minerals Have Strange Legend
airy Therapeutic Qualities.
From American Medicine.

EIoiu alHSricSn MeQlclue
The sacred. magical and curative proper
ties of certain stones-large and small-ap-
pear to have ranked among the items of the
Pseudodoxia epidemica, among all races
and nations, and throughout all recorded
ages The colossal monOlth and the small
craven image of stones are well known
examples of the first of these properties.
Among the prominent specimens of the sec
ond may be noted the items of popular
medieval belief, that a diamond placed
urder the pillow would notify the conjugal
il fidelity of a wife; that the wearing of a
sapphire was preServative against all en-
chantmentS; that the fume of agate
would effectually avert the approach of
tempest; that the wearing of "a chrysoprase
would make one out of love with gold;
and that the carrying about of an amethyst
surely preserved the owner from being
'overtaken" by drunkenness-an item of
belief to which the etymology of its name
is due. To a kindred form of creduity
must be ascribed the wondrOus 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
81 ow hot no higher than the liquor in
them ariseth.' With regard to the curative
powers of various stores, we may season.
ably quote the remark of the celebrated
al thor of the "Religio Medici:" ''He must
have more heads than Janus, that makes
out half of those vertues ascribed into
stones and their not onely medical, but
Ms gicall properties, which are to be found
in authors of great name. Ir Pseilus, Sera
pion, Evax, Albertus, Aleazar, Marbodeus;
in Maiolns Rueus Myllus and many other.
And the same author goes on to state some
of his own opinions in this connection:
THAT Lapis LaZuli hath in it purgatlve
faculty we know. that Bezoar Is Antidotall,
Iapis JudaicuS Diuretical, Coral, Antiep-
will GpOy that COMEDIANS,
Jsspis HeliopIopes and blood stones may
be of vertue to these intentions they are
implied: experience and visible eHects Will
make us doubt" And just now the TACT or
the persistence of such forms of belief Is
forcibly brought home to us by the an
ncuncement-in diurnal Qay) contempo-
rary-of the unquestoning fa1th Wmch Is
placed in the efficacy of 'madStoneS by d
large proportion of cur own fellow-citizens.
There are even now many of those precious
talismans in this country; and the bellev-
ers 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 after the death of Its owner
in the state library at Columbus. There II
was recently applied to the wound caused
by the bite of supposedly rabid dog. The
dog recovered, and the woman to whom 1t
was applied died of blood poisoning caused
by the unclean contact. We are also IN
formed 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 a mad dog, or other allied wound.
One such perhaps the same) was at
later date sold by auction for so. sun
more famous was that brought from Russia
in 1887 by a physician of that country who
settled in Nevada. 1t had previously been
exploited in that country for at least CEN
t1rv and a half-a fact supported by doc
umentary evidence The document was
written in native Russian; and. as nobody
concerned could read it, everybody i'm
plcitly believed what he or she was told of
tlzA ,fn fOrc ,a1 Ia NJ
81 800. and joint stock company was form
ed for the purchase. thousand share
holders advanced 81 each, and the balance
was made up by farmer who became its
keeper when the purchase was completed.
Its fame still fiourishes, and it is said that
an offer of 5000 has been refused for 1t.