The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-04-19
HOW EYESTONES ACT
Their Movements When Placed
In Lime Juice or Vinegar.
HAVE APPEARANCE OF LIFE.

HAVE APPEARANCE OF LIFE
Their Motion l. Caused BY carbenic
Acid Gas Evolved BY Contact With
the Liquid Aeid-Ths Cleansing Proc
sss In . Journey Over the Eysbail.
The druggist took small bottle
from q drawer and emptied from It
few tiny objects that looked like fiat.
round bits OF polished bone. He pick
ed up one and handed 1t over for In
sspection. One side OF II was marked
with numerous concentric grooves
'.That is an eyestone." said the drug
gist. He poured tablespoonful or so
of liquid out Of bottle into saucer
like dish and diluted it with water.
"And this" said he. ''is weak solu-
ton OF lime juice" The druggist took
one Of the eyestones and placed 1t in
the solution. Presently it began to
move as IL it were alive. It made its
way slowly about in different direc-
lions in the liquid In q 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 superstitious people to the notion
that 1t has life and that 1t loves vine
gar and loves to swim In 1t above all
things. But there is no more life In an
eyestone than there is in a paving
stone. It is composed Of calcureous
material and when placed In the solu-
lions named Is made to move about by
carbonic acid gas. which is evolved by
contact with the liquid acid.
"These little stones and 0ll genuine
eyestones once were the front doors,
so to speak. of the shells Of little
molluscous animal that lives along the
South American east coasts. The shell
Of that little creature is q univalve.
This calcareous formation Is on the
tip end Of the mollusk. and when it
draws itself into it's she'll to escape
danger or - to sleep the end. OF
course, is the last part that il drawn
into the cavity or mouth OF the shell.
where it fits SO closely and is SO hard
that 1t affords perfect protection to
the animal against its enemies from
without.
1.-The natives collect these little mol
lusks 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
sess supernatural attributes. Sailors
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 time when
the demand for them generally wal
quite large.
There is nothing better to remove
foreign substances from the eye than
one Of these South American eye
stones. which use is whnt gives them
their name. Many people think that
before using them It is necessary to
put them In vinegar to give them
life.' but It Is not necessary ut 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 I'm the eye, and
the grooves collect the foreign mates
and retain it. After making q thor.
ough circuit Of the eye the stone will
come out at the corner next to the
nose No inconvenience is caused by
its presence.
There are other eyestones. In the
head Of our common crawfish there
are two little bones. just back Of and
beneath the eyes, which resemble the
South American eyestones, about the
only difference being that they arr
smooth all over instead of grooved or
one side. These crawflsh bones are
known as eyestones and are used al
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 L. found in the collecting Of
these crab stones. The crawfish 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 II
those countries as eyestones, but an
taken internally. faith in their benefi
cent stomachic properties being great
New York Prosa