Amulet (Ar. hamalat, a thing worn), a preservative against occult and mischievous influences. Amulets are made of various substances, and were first known, it is believed, among the Arabs. The early Christians made amulets of the supposed wood of the cross, or of ribbons with a text of Scripture written on them, and to this day the Roman Catholics call their little relics, etc, amulets. The idea that an amulet carried about the person has the power both of repelling and healing diseases still prevails in the mind of many persons. Even the celebrated Robert Boyle (who flourished in the latter half of the 17th century) does not hesi-itate to declare that he once experienced the efficacy of such an amulet in his own case. The anodyne necklace, made of beads from the roots of white briony, which is sometimes hung around the neck of an infant for teething purposes, is an instance of the still surviving confidence in the medical virtue of amulets. Many other examples might be given.