445

Answer to the East India company concerning the
stone sent by them to the Royal Society

That the stone is called piedra de Cobra de Mombaza
as being found there in the prouince of Zanguebar
in Africa, and in the head or belly of a serpent.
its vertues are the helping women in childbed, curing
the Colick, Melancholy, or feuors (if giuen in the fitt)
The way of using it is to rub it on a hard smoth stone
til a cream comes of it, which is generally dissolued
in water and administred to the patient as a
contrepoison
/They are uery rare/ in Europe, and in the East Indies.
One of this sort has been esteemed worth 100 pieces of 8.
They are uery rare in Europe.
It has not been found to answer the great character
of its uirtues. & being tried to help a dog poysond
with nux uomica it hindred not a uiolent suddain
death.
It was tried uery accurately by Francesio Recli, a uirtuoso
of Ferdinand great Duke of Florence (who had one of
these stones presented him) but with no sucesse.
it was endeuored to be giuen to dogs poysond with uipers
& nux uomica, but the dog poysond with nux uomica died
uery suddenly notwithstanding his remedy, the uipers
were not uery fit for poysoning.

Ref: CELL/RS/HF_447  © Centre for Editing Lives and Letters