Observations placeholder

S Weir Mitchell – from The Effects of Anhalonium Lewinii [the mescal button]  British Medical Journal 1896

A  white spear of grey stone grew up to a huge height and became a tall richly furnished Gothic tower of very elaborate and definite design, with many rather worn statues standing in the doorways or on stone brackets.  As I gazed, every projecting angle, cornice and even the  face of the stones at their jointings were by degrees covered or hung with clusters of what seemed to be huge precious stones, but uncut, some being more like masses of transparent fruit.  These were green, purple, red and orange, never clear yellow and never blue.  All seemed to possess an interior light, and to give the faintest idea  of the perfectly satisfying intensity and purity of these gorgeous colour fruits is quite beyond my power.  All the colours I have ever beheld are dull in comparison with these.  As I looked, and it lasted long, the tower became a fine mouse hue, and everywhere the vast pendant masses of emerald green, ruby reds and orange began to drip a slow rain of colours.