47o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the navel be anointed therewith." And in conclusion Pliny quotes 

 Marcus Varro, who " saith that gold wil cause warts to fal off." 

 (Holland's translation, London, 1634.) Varro was a friend of 

 Cicero, which carries back this belief in the efficacy of gold to 

 the first century before Christ. 



The Arabian physicians, who for hundreds of years possessed 

 almost exclusive knowledge of chemistry, often record the virtues 

 of gold as a remedial agent in disease. Geber, who lived in the 

 eighth century, wrote : " Gold is a medicine rejoycing and con- 

 serving the Body in Youth." (Russell's translation, London, 1678, 

 p. 76.) Avicenna is said to have also written in its praise ; also 

 Arnald de Villanova (1235-1312). 



The preparation of gold in a potable, innocuous form occupied 

 the attention of the alchemists during several centuries ; they 

 commonly called it aurum potabile, and ascribed to it not only re- 

 medial virtues but the power of prolonging life. The quotation 

 from Geber shows that he shared this opinion. 



To this elixir of life they gave many fanciful names : Elias 

 Ashmole, in his Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum, says Saint 

 Dunstan calls it the " food of angels," and others the " heavenly 

 viaticum." Ashmole himself adds : " It is undoubtedly the true 

 Alchochodon or giver of years, for by it man's body is preserved 

 from corruption, being thereby enabled to live a long time with- 

 out food ; nay, 'tis made a question whether any man can die that 

 uses it." (Written in 1652.) 



The alchemists argued that this golden elixir is not to be made 

 of vulgar gold, but only from philosophical gold prepared by 

 hermetic art. Recipes for manufacturing this panacea abound in 

 alchemical works, they are mostly very tedious, requiring endless 

 repetitions and much faith on the part of the operator. One of 

 the simplest methods of preparing aurum potabile is given by 

 Samuel Bolton in his curious little 16mo, " Medicina magicatamen 

 physica," published at London in 1650: "Put foliated gold into a 

 vessel well sealed with Hermes' seal ; put it into our fire till it be 

 calcined to ashes ; then sublime it into flores, having his caput 

 mortuum, or black terra damnata in the bottom. Then let that 

 which is sublimed be with the same degree of fire united to the 

 same caput mortuum that it may be revived by it, as that all may 

 be reduced into an Oyle which is called Oleum Solis. The dose 

 hereof is two or three grains." 



This description leaves much to the imagination, and in this 

 respect differs little from others that we might quote. For the 

 benefit of non-chemists we may add that few of the recipes yield 

 a product containing gold, the metal often remaining in the part 

 thrown away. 



Roger Bacon, the Franciscan friar of the thirteenth century, to 



