Such are Quills of Quick-silver or Arsenic, which some hang on the Neck, or wear under the Shirt against the Plague, and other contagious Diseases; the Blood-stones worn by others against Hemorrhages; and that worn by the Women of the East Indies to bring down the Menses. Amulets are frequently no other than a sort of Spells or Charms; consisting of quaint Words and Characters, supposed to have the Virtue of warding off ill—Pliny makes frequent mention of 'em. See CHARM, &c. The Greeks called these kind of Remedies φυλακτήρια (phylakteria), Periapta; διαφυλάσσειν (diaphylassein), σεσωσμένα (sesosmena), βεβικ (bevik).—
The Latins call 'em Amuleta, Appeusa, &c. See PHYLACTERY, PERIAPTA, &c. The Council of Laodicea forbids Ecclesiastics to wear such Amulets and Phylacteries, on Pain of Degradation, St. Chrysostom and St. Jerome are likewise zealous against the same Practice, "Hoc apud nos, superstitione vulgare, in parvulis Evangelitis & in crucis ligno & istiusmodi rebus quae habent quidem zelum Dei sed non juxta scientiam, usque hodie factitant," See KIRCH. Oedip. Aegypt.
Amulets are now fallen from the great Repute they were anciently in; yet the great Mr. Bayle alleges 'em as an Instance of the Ingress of external Effluvia into the Habit; in order to show the great Porosity of the human Body.—He adds, that he is persuaded some of these external Medicines do answer; for that he himself having once been subject to bleed at the Nose, and reduced to use several Remedies to check it; found that Moss of a dead Man’s Skull, tho only applied so as to touch the Skin till the Moss was warm thereby, the most effectual of any—A memorable thing of this kind was communicated to Zwelfer by the chief Physician to the States of Moravia, who having prepared some Troches of Toads after Helmont’s manner, not only found that being worn as Amulets they preserved him and his Domesticks and Friends from the Plague; but, being put on the Plague-Sores of others, they were greatly relieved, and even saved thereby.