Miscellaneous Products. 



508 



[June, 1910. 



tined foi the protection of the human 

 race, because after the welfare of the 

 soul, the health of the human body takes 

 the first place. With regard to the in- 

 vention of the iron machines, of which 

 our present age is boasting so much, I 

 should rather say that they are for the 

 ruin of the nations than for their wel- 

 fare. Also the art of printing, though 

 it may be specially fit for the preserva- 

 tion of the literary monuments, only 

 favours the bad zeal (kakozelia) of unable 

 scribblers. Similarly, there is uo reason 

 why we should be proud of the booty 

 of the Aerythrsean Sea or of the gold 

 mines of the Atlantis, because, accord- 

 ing to the highminded poet the yellow 

 metal is more dangerous than the iron. 



Jamque nocens ferrum, ferroque no- 



centius aurum 

 Prodierat ; prodit helium, quod pugnat 



utroque. 



(Ovidius Metamorphoses primo.) 



But the glory, of the European Argo- 

 nauts can never be too loudly sung ; 

 they have discovered a new continent 

 which was hidden for centuries , they 

 have unveiled the secrets of the sea and 

 shown the way to so many islands 

 scattered in the Indian Ocean. By their 

 efforts it came out that almost 



Omnis ferat omnia lellus, 



and that foreign medicaments of high 

 and rare value were introduced into our 

 country- Amongst them the Sea Cocoa 

 nut (Nux Medica Maldiviensis) occupies 

 the first and foremost rank, whether 

 we consider its rareness or its prize and 

 value, or finally its usefulness that was 

 ever praised." 



As to the origin of the nut Piso gives 

 two opiuions. The common people say 

 that it grows on trees that are hidden 

 in the sea, or which were covered with 

 water at the time of an inundation, or 

 that had their roots in the water as 

 their natural medium. The more devout 

 bold a different view. They believe 

 that the nut grows on au island called 

 Pallaya?, which is invisible to those who 

 want to find it, and visible to others 

 that do not know about it. From that 

 island the nuts are carried away by the 

 ocean-currents and washed upon the 

 shores of the Maldives. The inhabitants 

 of the Maldive Islands believe that 

 Pallayas is the happiest of all the coun- 

 tries of the world, and that the devils 

 and malicious genii want to hide it be- 

 fore the eyes of man. 



Piso relates that Rudolf II, Emperor 

 of Germany, offered 4,000 florins for a 

 Sea Coco-nut, but the family of Wolfered 

 in whose possession the nut was, was 



not inclined to part with it. In the 

 Maldivian Islands the value of one nut 

 was estimated at from 60-120 crowns ; 

 but those which measured as ranch in 

 breadth as in length were the most 

 esteemed ; and those which attained a 

 foot in diameter, were sold for 150 

 crowns ; some kings have even been so 

 greedy of obtaining these fruits as to 

 have given a loaded ship for a single 

 one. 



We can easily understand the great 

 desire of many of becoming the happy 

 owner of such a nut, if we read the long 

 catalogue of cases drawn up by Piso, in 

 which the Nux Medica is said to have 

 played such an important part in the 

 restoration of the diseased to their 

 former health. We cannot refrain from 

 reproducing in this place for thebenefit 

 of the " sons of .ZEsculapius" at least two 

 of the many medical prescriptions which 

 were believed in and followed in the 16th 

 and 17th centuries : - 



In Peste et Febribus maliqnis Contagi- 

 osis. 



Cocci Maldivensis 3j . Seminis Acetosos 

 mundati 3j. Syrupi e succo Oranatorum 

 acidorum, aut Scabiosoe, aut florum 

 Tuniccm, 3j, Discordii, Fracastorii 3j. 

 Decocti radicum Petasitidis, Scordii et 

 Scorzonerce, aut aquarum Boraginis, 

 Buglossce q, s. F. Potio. 



In dysenteria cruenta, et Torminibus: 

 facta ante prwparatione debita per 

 Rheum et Clysteres. 



Corticis inter medii Nucis Medicce 3j 

 {si desit, Medulla aut Putamen vicem 

 suppleat). Terras Lemnio3, Lapidis. Be- 

 zoartici, Orientalis et Bistorts radicis 

 ana 3j. Syr. de succo Portidacce parum, 

 and consistentiam, Bol. F. et insuper 

 adjectis requisitis, Conditum, potio, et 

 similia. 



The most complete historical account 

 of the Sea Coco-nut we find in Rum- 

 phius (Herbai'ium Amboinese, VI, 210) 

 who describes the marvellous fruit 

 under the Dutch name " Calappa Laut." 

 The stories are fabulous enough, but 

 in addition to it he tells us, that many 

 other tales were related to him respect- 

 ing it, too absurd to be repeated. 

 The Malay and Chinese sailors used to 

 affirm that it was born upon a tree deep 

 under water, which was similar to the 

 Coco-nut tree, and was visible in placid 

 bays, upon the coast of Sumatra, but 

 that if they sought to dive after the 

 tree, it instantly disappeared, The Ne- 

 gro priests declared it grew near the 

 island of Java, where its leaves and 

 branches rose above the water, and in 

 which a monstrous bird, or griffin had 

 its habitation, whence it used to sally 



