the
betel nut and sirih. In the East they were credited with the property
of strengthening the eyes, were considered efficacious in hemorrhages,
and were in general use for diseasts of the heart, for ague and
indigestion. Though never now prescribed or used medicinally in this
country — for " Pearl powders," and kindred preparations retain nothing
but the name—they are still in repute in China and some other Eastern
countries ; large quantities of seed Pearls are used in the composition
of majooms or electuaries, in the formation of which #several
precious stones are sometimes employed. The ma-joom in which there is a
large quantity of Pearls is much in use for its supposed stimulating
and restorative qualities. At the present time however, the healing
virtue of the Pearl is regarded with less favour than formerly in the
East, and it is now recognised and even admitted by their own writers
that "there is nothing in the gems or in the shells which can render
any more beneficial service than that done by chalk and other antacids."
We
subjoin an extract on the Indian idea of the supposed medicinal
properties of Pearls, from the Mani-Mâlâ, written in 1881 by the Rajah
Sourindro Mohun Tagore : " The use of Pearls conduces to contentment of
mind and to strength of body and soul. The burnt powder of this
