Sotacus, one of the most ancient writers, says, that there are five kinds of hæmatites, in addition to the magnet2721 so called. He gives the preference among them to that of Æthiopia,2722 a very useful ingredient in ophthalmic preparations and the compositions which he calls “panchresta,”2723 and good for the cure of burns. The second, he says, is called “androdamas,”2724 of a black2725 colour, remarkable for its weight and hardness, to which it owes its name, in fact, and found in Africa more particularly. It attracts silver, he says, copper, and iron, and is tested with a touchstone made of basanites.2726 It yields a liquid the colour of blood, and is an excellent remedy for diseases of the liver. The third kind that he mentions is the hæmatites2727 of Arabia, a mineral of equal hardness, and which with difficulty yields, upon the water-whetstone, a liquid sometimes approaching the tint of saffron. The fourth2728 kind, he says, is known as “hepatites,”2729 while raw, and as “miltites”2730 when calcined; a substance good for burns, and more efficacious than rubrica2731 for all the purposes for which that mineral is employed. The fifth2732 variety is schistos; a substance which, taken internally, arrests hæmorrhoidal discharges. Upon the same authority, it is recommended to take any kind of hæmatites, fasting, in doses of three drachmæ, triturated in oil, for affections of the blood.2733

The same author mentions also a kind of schistos which has no affinity to hæmatites, and to which he gives the name of “anthracites.”2734 It is a native of Africa, he says, and is of a black colour. When rubbed upon a water-whetstone, it yields a black colour on the side which has adhered to the earth, and, on the opposite side, a saffron tint. He states also that it is a useful ingredient in ophthalmic preparations.