580 EEPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1900. 



in the trejitnicnt of ulcov.-^ and (ii.sea.se,s of the eye, .such as conjuncti- 

 vitis, cataract, etc. The l)uint })owder taken internally cured vomit- 

 ing" of blood and purgin<j;'. 



According- to Egyptian medicine, pearl powder taken with electua- 

 ries streng:thened the body and added luster to the eyes. 



The Hindu authorities recognized four shades as belonging to 

 pearls — yellow, honey, white, and blue. The lirst brings wealth, the 

 second fosters understanding, the third bruigs fame, and the fourth 

 good luck. If defective, according- to the kind and degree, the pearl 

 brought on leprosy, loss of male issue, loss of fortune, disgrace, sloth- 

 fulness, insanity, and death. (Mani-Mala.) 



According to Art Magic; or Mundane, Submundane, and Supermun- 

 dane Spiritism, the wearing of pearls brought one en rapport with 

 spirits and promoted chastity. 



In Bengal bracelets of pearl are worn by virgins to preserve their 

 virtue. 



In Europe as late as the seventeenth century decoctions containing 

 pearls were thought to ))e powerful mental stinuilants and a cure for 

 insanity. A decoction of pearl powder and distilled water was one of 

 the remedies given to the insane Charles, King of Spain. 



Leonardus states that pearls boiled in meat would cure the quartan 

 ague; powdered and taken with milk, they healed ulcers and cleared 

 the voice; they comforted the heart, gave relief in cramps and colic, 

 cured epilepsy and dysentery; taken with sugar, the}^ were of assist- 

 ance in the cure of pestilential fevers, and that the}' rendered their 

 wearers virtuous. 



According to Nicols (Arcula Gemmea), pearls were — 



good against syncopes, and cardiacall passions, that they do comfort the spirits, 

 stop the fluxes of bloud, cure lienteries and diarrheas, and that they are good for the 

 sight. 



Prase. — Supposed to possess all the properties of the emerald, but 

 to a less degree. Lost its color on contact with poison or venom, but 

 recovered it again on being washed. Reported to be an excellent cor- 

 dial and cardiac stimulant. Applied to the eyes, it strengthened the 

 sight. (Arcula Gemmea. 1658.) 



Benoni states that the powder mixed with the milk of a ewe that 

 has had but one lamb will, if applied locally, cure the gout; taken 

 internally, it was a deadly poison. 



Quartz. — The powder mixed Avith wine was given for dysentery in 

 the north of England during the twelfth century. A crystal held 

 against the tongue assuaged thirst. (Leonardus, Speculum Lapidum.) 



Applied locally to-day in the mountains of Georgia for faintness, 

 headaches, and bleeding at the nose. Used in parts of Virginia to cure 

 styes; the sty is rubbed with the crystal three times a da}^ for three 

 days. In northern New York a so-called "vital ore,"' consisting 



