SC - Semi precious Stones and Pearls

[Thomas Gloning]

Akim and others,

let me add that there were medicinal uses of pearls, too. Paracelsus has
a recipe for "Materia perlarum ein Safft der Perlen" (ed. Huser IV,
1591, 108), a preparation where pearls are dissolved in concentrated
vinegar and aqua vitae circulata within one month. This "Safft der
Perlen" is then used three times a day for lame members or the body.

There was also a medicinal use of gold. E.g., Arnald of Villanova, in
his treatise on wine, mentions a gold wine ("Wein darinn gold geleschet
ist"): you have to put very hot pieces of gold into the wine four or
five times. This wine is said to be very powerful for several purposes.

The healing and preventive properties of gem stones are mentioned in
many lapidaries of the Middle Ages. E.g., Riethe, commenting on the
lapidary of Hildegard of Bingen says, that among other things there were
preparations with gem stones made for consumption: in the form of
powder, solved in something, tinctures, infusions. -- Here is a passage
from a Middle English lapidary: "And who soo hathe empostumes in his
body, yf he grynde it [the saphyre] & drynke hit with mylke, hit shall
hele the sekenesse thorow the vertu that god hathe yoven to the saphire.
And hit colith a man that hathe to moche hete in his body ..." (ed.
Zettersten 1968, 24f.).

Thus, I think the medical doctor(s) around Chiquart (Anthonius de
Garneriis) or those mentioned in Chiquart's #65 ("... seulement
desquelles le medicin ordonnera") were in spirit with the _medical_
beliefs of the 15th century.

I have put a small bibliography on lapidaries and their history online:
   http://staff-www.uni-marburg.de/~gloning/steinbib.htm
PLEASE, email me your additions and corrections!

Thomas