to
the degree of defect. The "Mani-mâlâ," previously quoted, states that
"pearls possessed of every valuable quality shield their master from
every evil, and suffer nothing harmful to come near him. The house
which contains a perfect pearl the ever-restless Lakshmi (goddess of
wealth) chooses to make her dwelling for ever and a day."1
A
similar idea is expressed in an old Hindu treatise on gems by
Buddhabhatta, where we read: "The pearl from the shell ought always to
be worn as an amulet by those who desire prosperity.2
Pearls still find a place in the pharmacopoeia of India. One of the latest standard works, that of R. N. Khory and Ν. Ν. Katrak,3
credits the powder as a stimulant, tonic, and aphrodisiac. It is one of
the ingredients in numerous Indian prescriptions used in curing
impotence, heart-disease, consumption, etc. According to these
authorities, the dose is from one fourth to one half grain of the
powdered pearl.
Owing
to the high cost of sea pearls, even those of the smallest size, a
substitute for medicinal and similar purposes is found in the Placuna
pearls of Ceylon, Borneo, etc. These are of such slight luster that
only the choicest are of ornamental value, consequently they are sold
at relatively small prices. A considerable demand exists for them to be
placed in the mouths of deceased Hindus of the middle class, instead
of the sea pearls which are used by the wealthy, or the rice which is
employed in a similar manner by persons of poorer rank. This custom
seems to be analogous to that of the ancient Britons, and also to that
of the American Indians, in depositing food and other requisites for a
journey in burial graves. The practice is an old one in India and was
noted by Marco Polo more than six hundred years ago.
Most
of the Placuna pearls are calcined and are used with areca-nuts and
betel-pepper leaves in a very popular masticatory, one of the "seven
sisters of sleep," which is to the Hindu what opium is to the Chinaman,
or tobacco to the American or European. The hard white areca-nut (Areca Catechu) is about the size and shape of a hen's egg. Three
or four thousand tons of the small, tender nuts are annually shipped
from Ceylon to India for this masticatory, which is chewed by a hundred
million persons. After boiling in water, pellets of them are placed in
a leaf of the betel-pepper (Piper betle) with a small quantity
of lime made from pearls or shells, according to the desired quality
and value of product. It is credited with hardening the gums,
sweetening the breath, aiding digestion, and stimulating the nervous
system like coffee or tobacco ; its most visible effect is tingeing the
saliva and blackening the teeth, which is far from attractive,
especially in an otherwise beau-
1 "Mani-mâlâ," Calcutta, 1879, p. 315. * "Materia medica of India and their
'Finot, "Les Lapidaires Indiens," Paris, Therapeutics," Bombay, 1903, p. 98. 1896, p. 15.
