Bezoar Stone

Accession Number1986.008.0605b

VesselNuestra Señora de Atocha (1622)

DescriptionA bezoar stone is a calcareous deposit found in the gastrointestinal tracts of ruminants (cows, sheep, goats, deer) or camelids (camels, llamas, alpacas). The bezoars form when layers of calcium and magnesium phosphate cover indigestible plant material, hair, or even a pebble lodged in the gut. As early as the eighth century, Arabic doctors used bezoars to treat ailments. By the sixteenth century bezoars were used in western medicine as an antidote to poison, and they became highly valued. Multiple bezoars were found in a silver canister on the wreck of the 1622 galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha. They are almost certainly from South American llamas or alpacas. This “triple” bezoar is 4.8 centimeters long and weighs 14.81 grams. One of nine bezoar stones with same accession number. See also 1986.008.0605a, c--h.