Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-04-14
Ho WEYESTONEs ACT.

Their Movements When Placed in
Lime Juice or Vinegar.
The druggist took a small bottle
from a drawer and empt1ed from it a
few tiny objects that looked like fiat,
round bits of polished bone. He pick
ed up one and handed 1t over for In
spection. One side Of 1t was marked
with numerous concentrfc grooves
"That is an eyestone," said the drug
gist. He poured a tablespoonful or so
of liquid out of a bottle into a saucer
like dish and diluted 1t with water.
"And this" said he. sis a weak solu-
ton OF lime juice" The druggist took
one Of the eyestones and placed it in
the solution. Presently it began to
move as If it were alive. 1t made its
way slowly about in different direc-
lions In the liquid In a mysterious
manner.
"That strange movement OF the eye
stone" said the druggist, "when plac-
ed IN a weak solution Of lime Juice or
vinegar has given rise among ignorant
and superstiious people TO the notion
that It has life and that it loves vine
gar and loves to swim In it above ali
things. But there is no more life In an
eyestone than there is In a paving
stone. It is composed Of calcareous
material and when placed in the solu-
tons named is made to move about by
carbonic acid gas, which Is evolved by
contact with the liquid acid.
'SThese little stones and all genuine
eyestones once were the front doors,
so to speak. Of the shells Of a little
molluscous animal that lives along the
South American east coasts. The shell
of that little creature is a univalve.
This calcareous formation is on the
tip end of the mollusk, and when it
draws itself into its shell to escape
danger or go to sleep the end. Of
course, is the last part that is drawn
into the cavity or mouth OF the shell,
where it fits so closely and is so hard
that it affords perfect protection to
the animal against its enemies from
without
1.-The natives collect these little mol
Iusks in large numbers for no other
purpose than to secure the eyestones,
as we call them, and they hold them
in great awe. believing them to pos
on the vessels engaged In the fruit
trade with those regions obtain the
stones from the natives and bring
them here for sale to the wholesale
druggists. and there was a time when
the demand for them generally was
quite large.
''There is nothing better to remove
foreign substances from the eye than
one of these South American eye
stones. which use is what gives them
their name. Many people think that
before using them 1t is necessary to
put them In vinegar to give them
life.' but it is not necessary at all
The stone is inserted at one corner OF
the eye, with the grooved side next to
the lid. The pressure of the eyeball
forces It to move about in the eye, and
the grooves collect the foreign matter
and retain it. After making a thor
ough circuit OF the eye the stone will
come out at the corner next to the
nose. No Inconvenience is caused by
fits presence.
''There are other eyestones. In the
head of our common crawfish there
IRE TWO HUE OOuGSs just BdGk VI duu
beneath the eyes, which resemble the
South American eyestones, about the
only difference being that they are
smooth all over instead OF grooved on
one side. These crawfish bones are
known as eyestoneS and are used as
such in the west but they have none
OF the virtues of the real eyestone.
Their proper name is crab stones. In
Poland and parts of Russia quite a
trade is found In the collecting of
these crab stones. The crawf1sh are
taken and buried in deep pits, where
they are left to die and rot. The refuse
Is then washed and the stones are
picked out. They are not used In
those countries as eyestones, but are
taken internally, faith in their benea-
cent stomachic properties being great"