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A compleat history of druggs divided into three classes, vegetable, animal and mineral : with their use in physick, chymistry, pharmacy, and several other arts, illustrated ... / written by Monsieur Pomet ; to which is added what is further observable on the same subject from Messrs. Lemery, and Tournefort ... Done into English from the originals [by Joseph Browne].

  • Pierre Pomet
Date:
1712
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A compleat history of druggs divided into three classes, vegetable, animal and mineral : with their use in physick, chymistry, pharmacy, and several other arts, illustrated ... / written by Monsieur Pomet ; to which is added what is further observable on the same subject from Messrs. Lemery, and Tournefort ... Done into English from the originals [by Joseph Browne]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    623/658 (page 405)
    9. Of Jafper. Pomet] Here being various Sorts of Ja~ ftich as the Green, the Purple, Cerulean, Aurora, or Cryftal like ; Ï fhall fpeak only of that which is fold in the Shops, which is the Green Jufper ; and if it had not been of fome fmali Ufe in Medicine, I (hou’d not have fpoke of it. Being a very precious Commodity, it is very liable to be counterfeited in Glafs : Chufe fuch as are of a fine deep Green, fmooth and (hining, full of red Spots, as if they were little Drops of Blood, and which can take no Imprelîion from the Point of a Needle drawn up¬ on it, which is a Sign that it is truly Oriental.. Some People affirm that the Green Jaf^er is very proper to cure the Ep- hpfy^ and that it is a good Cordial j it is prepar’d as the Hyacinth and other precious Stones. Jafpts^ the Jafper, is a fine, hard, Lemery. fmooth, refplendent, precious Stone, which differs little from the -rlgate^ only that is not fo har# and pure : There are a great many Kinds of it, but the Ori¬ ental is the^beft. It ought to be very hard, of a deep Green fpotted with Red, and it is of fome Ufe in Phyfick, ground fine upon a Porphyry : The prepar’d Powder is aftrin- gent, proper to ftop Blood and the Scour of the Guts. Great Virtues are afifign’d it in the Epilepfy, alfo to ftrengthen the Stomach, and bring away the Stone in the Kidnies, 10. 0/fj&e Jade Stone. Pomet, H E Jade is a greenifh Scone, inclinable to grey, excreamly bard and very rare : This Scone is little us’d in Phyfick, but pretty much in feveral Sorts of Works that arc very valuable, it being very difficult to cut. The Turks and Poles ufe a great deal of Jade to make Handles for their Knives, Sabres, Swords, and other Things, v^hich they adorn with Gold j the Oriental is the finelh Jads* Jade is a very hard Scone, of a greenifii grey Colour ; the fineft Lemery: comes from the Eafl-Indies. The Turks and Poles make feveral Ufes of themj and it is difficult to work becaufe of its exceflive Hardnefs.. Some pretend, that apply’d to the' Region of the Kidnies, they are proper to bring away Scone and Gravel, but I can give no credit to fuch Re¬ medies. II. 0/ the Nephritick Stone. H E Nephritick Stone is a grey- ifh Scone, with a little Mixture Pomet, of Blue in it, fo that it is ufually of a bluilh grey Colour, being fat and oily like Venetian Talck- This Stone is much' valued by certain Perfons for the Cure of the Gravel, which makes it fo fcarce, and fo much enquired after, becaufe of its- Virtues, which it performs by hanging about • the Thigh of thofe who are troubled with the Scone or Gravel in the Kidnies, from whence ic is call’d thé Nephritick Stone : The Dearnefs and Rarity of this Stone is the Rea- fon why fome have fubfticuted in its ftead a Kind of green Marble, furnam’d Malaguitte^ and cut and carve it like a Bird’s Head, be-- caufe the Ancients believ’d that the true Ne- phritick Stone refembled a Bird’s Head, or the Beak of a Perroquet. The true Nephri¬ tick Stone comes from Nerv-Spain ; and who¬ ever wou’d know further of it may read Mr. . Worms^ who has writ a large Defcripcion of ic, too long CO be inferced here. Lapis Nepbriticus, or the Nephri¬ tick Stone, is of differenc Sizes, Lemery» pretty bard, opaque, of a bluifii Grey or Afh-colour, but fomeumes mix’d with white, yellow, or black, and is not perfectly fmooth, becaufe it is unc5luous like-, Talck; it is found in Nevo-Spain, fomecimes with the Jafper, and fometimes alone : Some reckon ic among the Kinds of Jafpers^ making no great Difference, but only that this is the harder : For the moft Parc they are found like Whet-Scones in the Fields in great I.umps, fo big, that a Cup may be made of them. Carolina affords pretty large ones, of about eight Inches long, three. broad,