Magneticus tartarus

Body disease and historical medicine · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. A bodily stone described by hardness and a spongy structure.

In the book. Marmoreus tartarus uses marble as its comparison of hardness.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 31; facsimile PDF page 359.

Historical Definition

Magneticus tartarus is a stone in a human being, as hard as a lodestone and spongy.

Meaning

The comparison with a lodestone concerns hardness in the sentence actually supplied. The entry does not expressly say that the bodily stone attracts iron. Its additional sponginess describes structure, so the two features must be read together rather than allowing the magnetic name to determine every property.

Use in the Book

Marmoreus tartarus uses marble as its comparison of hardness. Tartarum gives a broader range including bodily stones and gravel. These are differentiated descriptions of material within the body, rather than statements that the body contains ordinary pieces of the compared rocks.

Places to Read

Marmoreus tartarus. A bodily stone distinguished through a comparison with marble.

Tartarum. A wine-vessel deposit whose name also serves for bodily stones or gravel.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 31; facsimile PDF page 359 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 359, Magneticus tartarus

See also. Marmoreus tartarus; Tartarum