SUBSTANCES USED AS INCENSE IN THE EAST. 399 



SUBSTANCES USED AS INCENSE IN THE EAST. 



By W. Dymock, Brigade-Surgeon, Retired. 

 (Read before the Bombay Natural History Society on 1st July, 1891.) 



Incensation or sacrifice is the chief element of all the ancient 

 religions, and the most primitive form of it was the sacrifice of human 

 beings ; children offered to Moloch or Baal, captives burnt by the 

 ancient Greeks and Gauls, the Merieh sacrifice of the Khonds, and the 

 sacrificial cakes of Peru soaked in human blood. Primitive man 

 offered what he thought would be most acceptable to his deity, in 

 a more civilized condition he substituted burnt offerings of animals 

 for human sacrifices ; to these he added perfumes, and lastly the fire 

 and perfumes only remained as the symbol of sacrifice. 



In the Book of Genesis (8, 20) we are distinctly told that burnt 

 offerings of animals were made, and that '' the Lord smelled a sweet 

 savour." In Exodus (30, 34) Moses is directed to take sweet spices 

 stacte, onycha, and galbanum, with pure frankincense for use as 

 incense in the tabernacle. In India, animal incense, in the form of 

 ghi or clarified butter, is still used by the Hindus in the Horn 

 sacrifice, and in the arthi or incensation of idols and important 

 personages, such as the bridegroom by the bride. 



Incense burning is all that remains as a symbol of sacrifice in the 

 Christian Charch, and is used at the daily sacrifice of the Eucharist. 

 Amono- the Parsees fire is considered to be the son of Horniuzd, and 

 to act as a mediator between the faithful and the divine being. 

 Sacrifices of bread, meat, and the juice of the Homa plant are made. 



Among the ancient Arabs fire alone appears to have been used in 

 sacrifice, and also fire upon which salt was spriukled. 



What was the practice of these two ancient nations in pre-historic 

 times' we do not know, but we may infer that it was similar to that 

 of uncivilized man elsewhere. 



The principal plants which furnish the incenses used in the East 



are : — 



Ailantus malabarica, D. C, which yields the Baga-dhup incense 

 of Canara. 



Boswellia, several species growing in Arabia and Africa which 

 yield Olibanum or Frankincense. 



