April i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



725 



the slightest degree any honour that may be due to Baron 

 Mueller for the painstaking labour he has bestowed in 

 advancing botanical knowledge and research in these 

 colonies. What I complain of is that he should have 

 passed by those in this colony who have " originally " 

 been instrumental in establishing by practical proof the 

 medical virtues possessed by our gum trees long before 

 he or any of the many authors quoted ever dreamt of 

 the matter. It is all very well at this late hour o£ the 

 day to compile statistics and array a string of names or 

 authorities in support of the valuable properties possessed 

 by the eucalyptus oil, eucalyptus leaves, and eucalyptus 

 extract, etc., whereas the.sj facts were known and fully estab- 

 lished by practical information — information wliich is beyond 

 the possibility of dispute — between 20 and 30 years ago. I 

 believe I am the first-medical man in these colonies that 

 ever drew public attention (through the press) to the 

 therapeutic properties and hygienic value of the " eu- 

 calyptus," so abundantly disseminated all over these colon- 

 ies. I challenge Baron JIueller, or any other person, to 

 show to the contrary, day and date, when it was used 

 as a therapeutic agent or for medicinal purposes prior to 

 the date it was first used by me in the case of " spear 

 wound in the abdomen" in 1864, and subsequently fully 

 reported by me in the November number of the JVew Soidli 

 IVales Medical Gazette of 1870; Let those who can dis- 

 prove it, or show a prior or better claim to its discovery 

 than myself and I am sure I will willingly feel satisfied 

 in the matter. Until this is satifactorily done, whether 

 the honour be worthless or not, I think I have a right, 

 at least for the present, in saying that the paternity of 

 the discovery belongs to New South Wales. By all means 

 give honour to whom honour is due, but it is a rather 

 remarkable fact why I he Baron should have passed by 

 these patient facts in dealing with this question. The 

 iiyilney Mail in the columns has even repeatedly alluded 

 to the importance of this question, especially in February, 

 187.3, when it said, in writing of the eucalyptus, "that 

 there is a large and unoccupied field of study in the 

 medical botany of Australian plants. Hardly anything ha,s 

 been done as yet in this direction, though a few volunteers 

 have disclosed some f.acts." 



Mr. Phelps, at. p., also as far back as February, 1873, 

 moved in the I'arliament of New South Wales for a 

 select committee to " inquire into the alleged virtues and 

 theraputic properties of our eucalyptus or gum trees in 

 medicine; but which unfortunately was negatived by 19 

 to 16, in a House of 45 members." Why are these facts 

 overlooked by B.aron Mueller in dealing with this matter ? 

 The virtues of our gum trees are not confiued to any 

 one particular species (Eucalyptus globulus of Tasmania) 

 as is supposed, for I belif ve nearly all of them possess, less 

 or more, peculiar medicinal properties. I am even forced, 

 from careful observations and long experience of bush life, 

 to believe that the majority of our gum trees, no matter 

 in what form used, whether in the shape of the leaves 

 in their natural state or dried, ui ointment, in powder, 

 decoction, e.xtract, oil, gum, or alkaloid^ all inherit virtues 

 equal, if not superior, to quinine. Time alone is bound 

 to bring them into more general repute in the treatment 

 of intermittent fevers, an invaluable antiseptic and agimt 

 for counteracting lethal or malarial poisonous e.xhalaiions, 

 a febrifuge and a cooling, healing application to wounds, 

 ulcer.s, excoriations, burns, or rheumatism ; a salutary 

 remedy in parasitic disorders in sheep, especially the 

 apple tree species, the leaves of which sheep 

 are very fond of nibbling, owin? to the tonic, bitter, 

 pungent, aramatic principle which they possess. 



1 shall now submit the following short extract of this 

 remarkable " spear wound " case in corroboration of this 

 statement, nz.:— " On the 28th December, 1864, found 

 the plaster and the whole of the stitches had been re- 

 moved, the .anterior (or abdominal) wound wide open and 

 gapmg and ' bowels protruding,' accompanied by a qurint- 

 ity of ichorous serum oozing from the large orifice. Took 

 no raedicme since my last visit. The posterior wound to 

 all appearance healed. His gin sitting by hia side in the 

 bough gunyah attentively bathing the wound .and swollen 

 abdomen with a few of the most tender undershoots and 

 leaves of the yellow box and red gum tree, wrapped to- 

 gether in the form of a wreath, and now and again 

 dipped into a billy (a tin vessel capable of holding from 

 half-a-gallon to a gallon) of hot water and the leaves. 



which is constantly kept hot by the fire. In consequence 

 of this unexpected interference and the untoward appearance 

 of the wound (now greatly enlarged owing to the swell- 

 ing, the slight chance of his recovery seemed now to be 

 completely taken out of ray hands ; for to attempt to 

 again close the wound under the circumstances would not 

 only have been perfectly futile, but adding to the dan- 

 ger, as the swelling had so rapidly increased that the case 

 altogether now seemed quite hopeless and pulse sinking. 

 I was somewhat, then, reluctantly forced to abide the 

 issue of what seemed uotjmly a clumsy but an unnatural 

 and cruel sort of application ; but as I was determined 

 to carefully watch the ease to the end, I continued the 

 medicine and left the patient. On returning in the even- 

 ing, to my surprize and astonishment, I found what I had 

 previously considered a useless application had not only 

 lessened the size of the wound, but had positively had 

 the effect of reducing the swelling. Seeing such promis- 

 ing results, of com-se I made no further objection to the 

 use of this sti-ange application in the sliaj)^ of the gum 

 leaves, and simply then continued the medicine. On the 

 29th, or hve days after, the wound gradually closing, and 

 very little discharge. On the ' sixth day,' the 30th, found 

 the abdominal wound closed, and, with the exception of the 

 sweUing, surprizing to say, it looked almost as well 

 as when first dressed. In submitting so remark- 

 able a case to the medical profession I do so more 

 to stimulate research in the matter, and to 

 attract special attention to the wonderful effects of so novel 

 and simple a remedy, than with the view of pluming 

 myself with any degree of credit for the recovery of the 

 pi'ient, a circumstance more indebted, I fully believe, to 

 the efiicacy possessed by the eucalypti than any services 

 which I may have rendered the unfortunate sufferer. As a 

 topical agent in cases of severe punctured wounds it cert- 

 ainly appears to possess many useful and valuable proper- 

 ties, properties which I think are worthy of being further 

 investigated, aJid thus my sole desire to give the matter pub- 

 licity through the medium of your columns. In fact, the 

 leaves of the various species of the eucalypti, it is well 

 known, possess a peculiar aroma, especially when bruised, 

 somewhat resembling the odour of camphor. To those 

 who may have cheweil them the fact is palpable, and 

 scarcely needs corroboration, for they are not only 

 observed to possess a bitter but a rather pungent taste, fol- 

 lowed by a kind of benumbing or cooling sensation in the 

 mouth. It is probably due to these aromatic ingredients, 

 combined with some kind of astringent mucilaginous ex- 

 tract or principle that it owes such extraordinary thera- 

 peutic properties — properties, I believe, that are not only 

 sedative, antiphlogistic, but even catalytic or antiseptic." 



Further, in my essay on the climate of Australia, which 

 was published in the Neie South Wales Medical Gazette, 

 vol. 1, I have again particularly referred to the efficiency 

 and virtue of the Eucalyptus in the health of man and 

 animals. From these few quotations it is quite apparent 

 that the valuable and now widely extending therapeutic 

 properties of the eucalyptus were known in New South 

 Wales prior to the time they were known or discovered in 

 any other colony. If there is any real credit attached to 

 the matter, so far as it is yet known, 1 have never heard 

 of its apjilication for medicinal purjwses until I first saw 

 it applietl by the blacks in the manner I have described in 

 the case of the "spear wound in the abdomen," as pre- 

 viously alluded to. The title, surely then hns a right to 

 belong to the New South Wales, unless some other person can 

 prove a better claim to its earlier application than 

 in the successful ca.se which occurred to me in 1861. In 

 eases of wounds, ulcers, rheumatism, burns, gonorrhea, 

 uterine affections, and perhaps some types of fevers, &c., its 

 therapeutic efiicacy, I believe, when it has become more 

 generally known, will yet be found invaluable and incon- 

 trovertible. I hope, therefore, the interest I have shown in 

 striving to give publicity to so valuable an indigenous plant 

 will more than counterbalance any unnecess.ary space which 

 I m<ay now have occupied in your journal with the length 

 of this letter. I shall bcs glad, too, to see the general 

 press taking the subject in hand, so as to give the matter 

 a still wider and greater field of publicity and research 

 than what hitherto it has either yet received or de- 

 served. 



Why should I, Mr. Editor, labour and toil, and tacitly 

 allow others to get the credit of my works? I say honour 



