SNAKE STONES AND BEZOARS 209
was
delirium, extreme tension of the abdomen, repeated vomiting, and an
irregular, feverish pulse ; finally an acute inflammation of the eyes
supervened, causing such intense pain that the man declared he would
rather die than endure it longer. However, at the end of eight hours'
time from the administration of the poison—three hours after the dose
of bezoar had been given—all the morbid conditions passed off, the
patient was able to eat food with relish and he slept quietly. In the
morning he was perfectly well, and never realized any subsequent bad
effects. The emperor released him from prison and even bestowed a
handsome reward upon him.11
A
strange experiment to determine the character and quality of bezoars is
related by Kaempfer on the authority of Jager. The latter asserted that
while in Golconda he had the opportunity of examining recently captured
gazelles for the presence of bezoars, and that by compressing their
abdomens he could distinctly feel two such concretions in the case of
one of the animals and five or six in the case of the other. They were
kept some days for further observation, but as they absolutely refused
all food, it was decided to kill them rather than have them starve to
death. This was done, but when the bodies were opened no trace of any
bezoar could be found, and Jager conjectures that the substance of
these concretions had been absorbed into the system of the animal for
lack of any other nourishment.12
In
his memoirs, Jehangir Shah relates that an Afghan once brought from the
Carnetic two goats said to have bezoar stones [pâzahar] in their
bodies. Jehangir was much surprised to note that these animals were
fat and healthy
n
Andrete Baccii, " De gemmis et lapidibus pretiosis," Francofurti, 1603,
p. 193 ; Latin version by Wolfgang Gabelchover of the original Italian.
"Kaempferi, " Am ceni ta tum exoticarum fasciculi V," Lemgovi«, 1712, pp.400, 401.
