Minerals in medicine prove a perfect prescription.

PositionChemical Compounds

Have an upset stomach?--pop a chalky, chewable antacid. Perhaps you received a painful cut or burn--no problem; just reach for a healing ointment or cream. Maybe you broke your arm as a kid. If so, you probably sported an itchy plaster cast. What all of these remedies and countermeasures share is as common as the earth beneath your feet: minerals. Calcite, silver, and gypsum are key components of those treatments, and hundreds of other minerals are found in medical therapies and applications in hospitals, clinics, and medicine cabinets around the world.

It was this idea that sparked "Minerals in Medicine," an exhibition on view through March 2018 at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., on loan from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History Gem and Mineral Collection, Washington, D.C. Conceived by John Gallin, director of NIH's Clinical Center, and Smithsonian geologists Jeff Post and Mike Wise, the exhibit features 39 minerals, from azurite to zinnwaldite. The specimens not only are beautiful to behold, but all have played an important role in some aspect of human medicine. "Most people never equate the uses of minerals to anything in their daily lives," Wise notes, "but minerals really are nothing more than chemical compounds."

Shock-blue azurite, for instance, has been a source of copper since ancient times. There is a goldilocks zone for copper inside the body; too much or too little can cause serious damage. Outside the body, copper is a potent antimicrobial agent, used in everything from bedrails to topical antiseptics. It also is found in malachite, a deep green mineral often used in jewelry.

The eight specimens of calcite on display at NIH, each vastly different from the next, are just a hint at its importance for many different applications: its main component is calcium, one of the most abundant minerals in the world--as well as in the human body. Necessary for healthy bones and teeth, calcium from calcites have been used in everything from antacids to manufacturing high-precision optics for scopes used in medical research.

Gallin, a rockhound from the age of five after he found a garnet crystal lying amid a gravel gas station parking lot during a family road trip, worked with Wise and Post to winnow down selections for the exhibit. He solicited input...

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