Pierre Pomet, A Compleat History of Druggs

Bezoars are a mass of undigested fibre that forms in the stomachs of certain animals. They are mostly found in the ‘bezoar goat’, illustrated here, but they have also been found in the guts of cows and elephants. According to A Compleat History of Druggs, the medicinal strength of a bezoar depended on the animal that produced it. ‘Bezoar Stones taken from Cows’, for instance, ‘have nothing near the good Qualities’ of those from the true bezoar goat. Shown here: vol. 1, part 2, p. 11