Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-25
WHEN JEWELS WERE EATEN.
Powdered Precious Stones Taken as
Medicine.
From the Lady's Pictorial.

rroU Lazy fictOrlaI.
Stones of healing, as they used to be
called. may not have been quite such
fakes as skeptical moderns think. There
may have been some foundation for the
faith once placed in them.
Every gem is the focus of a light ray.
and, it is noteworthy that the traditional
attributes Of jewels are quite along the
line of later scientific ideas. The anne
thyst and the sapphire, prisms of the
soothing violet and blue ray, have ever
been considered calming in their influ-
ence, while the ruby, the bloodstone, etc,
have always been said to exercise the
| rousing, stimulating effect Of the red ray.
Gems are highly electric. The chrys-
| alite acts on the magnetic needle and
this presupposes the radiation OF living
force from jewels, SO strongly insisted
upon in ancient and medieval writings.
precious stones applied externally or IN
ternally formed an accepted part OF the
medical pharmacopeia IN ancient and me-
dieval times.
An ancient and costly jewel compound
was 1.-The five precious fragments" con-
sisting of powdered rubies, topazes, EN-.
eralds. sapphlres and hyacintns. ia
nous French confection of 11I2 was COM
posed of jacinth, coral, sapphire, topaz,
| pearl and emerald mixed with gold and
silver l0dI ana ncTD5 OF power
This cOnfectiOn." says POmet. the
French kings apothecary. lis much used
in Florence anu Languedoc, where you
meet few persons not having a pot there
Of 1t was supposed to be an excellent
| recipe for many physical ailments.
Precious stones were prepared medic
inally by % powdering de. by grind.ng);
CD calcination (by fire or cOrrOSion): ts)
qualifications: "a Equation; 6D d.stillat on
or rehabilitation De. dissolved IN splr is
nf sctf ylo6N g, &;,,
solution mixed with citron. barberries.
sugar and water.
Powder of emeralds in doses of thirty
to forty grains was considered an astrin-
gent. It sta nched blood and strength
ened the eyes. Powdered topaz and rose
water prevented bleeding and was good
for digestion: it was sold by apothecarie:
as an antidote to madness. and taken in
time cured asthma and induced sleep.
Powder of rubies was usually taken in
doses of thirty to forty grains ITO
strengthen the vitals and restore lost
strength.' and also prevented infection.
Sapphires are highly electric: there was
powder of sapphire and oil Of sapphire;
some prepare sapphire with
cordial water: others dissolve the fine
dust of saphyire in pure vinegar and
JUICE of Unions. and give the solution
with some other cordial" Powder Of
sapphire healed boils and sores and was
also good for the eyes. Pearls were given
in consumption, cured quartan. ague.
strengthened the nerves. Salt of pearl
was much thought of by Paracelsus
pearls We're sometimes taken I'm doses of
six grains in water 'or dissolved in Vine
gar barberry juice or limons''
Poison was the terror OF the middle
ages: it is natural. therefore, TO find
many remedies among gems-the jacinth
the sapphire, the diamond, the COMEDIAN
the ruby, the agate. the toadstone. the
bezoar stone we're all used as antidotes to
poison.
The Lee Penny was "A famous stone Of
healing, set in coin brought back from
the crusades by one of the Lockarts OF
Lee: IL was specially used in cattle dis
eases. The coin. attached to a chain.
was dipped i'm a bucket of water-"three
dips and q swirl" as the country oaonle
expressed it--and the water was given to
the cattle. In the reign of Cha rles l the
Laird of Lee lent the penny To the in
habitants of Newcastle where the plague
was raging, receiving as pledge t".Gn.