TEREBINTHINA YENETA. GOD 



TEREBINTHINA VENETA. 



Terebinthina Laricina ; Venice Turpeiitme^ Larch Turpc'nth}c ; F. 

 Terebenthine cle Venise on de Briangon, Terihentldne dii melhe ; 

 G. Venetianischer Terpenthin, Ldrchen'Terpentkln. 



Botanical Origin — Finns Lcwix L. [Larix europcca DC), a tall 

 forest tree of the mountains of Southern Central Europe, from Daupbiiiy 

 through the Alps to Styria and the Carpathians, ascending to an eleva- 

 tion of 3000 to 5500 feet above the sea-level. It is largely grown in 

 plantations in England and also, since 1738, in Scotland. 



History— The turpentine of the larch was known to Dioscorides as 

 imported from the Alpine regions of Gaul.' Phny also was acquainted 

 with it, for he correctly remarks that it does not harden. Galen in the 

 2nd century also mentions it, admitting that it may well be substituted 

 for Chian turpentine (see p. 165), the true, legitimate Terehinthim. 

 Yet even in the beginning of the 17th century many pharmacologists 

 complained of such a substitution. Mattioli "^ gave an account of the 

 method of collecting it about Trent in the Tirol, by boring the trees to 

 the centre, which is true to the present day. It used formerly to be 

 exported from Venice, then the great emporium for drugs of all kmds ; 

 the turpentine may even at times have been collected m the territories 

 of the Venetian republic. We find it expressly called Terebird/mm 



Veneta by Guintherus of Andernach.'* _ ^ iv t tv 



The name larch seems to belong to the turpentme rather than U^ the 

 tree. Dioscorides says the resin is called by the natives Xap^a, ana 

 a similar name is mentioned by Galen. In Pasis Tariffa dejnsie 

 misure, 1521 (see Appendix), we find " Termenhnasive Larga -. nu 

 larga is still an Italian name for larch turpentine. Ihe P^^^^^sof the 

 Southern Tirol call it Lerget, and in Switzerland the common name m 

 German is LortscJi, 



Extraction-Larch turpentine is collected in the Tirol chiefly a^out 

 Mais, Meran, Botzen and Trent. A very smaU amount is obtained 

 occasionally in the Valais in Switzerland, and m i'^.^^^^^/^^. '^/i^J 

 and France where the larch is found. The resm ^^J>^^2lfJ'X e 

 heart-wood, by making in the spring a narrow cavitj, reaching to the 



centre of the^ stem at about aVoot from ^^^.^^"t-jnJtarwhc^ 

 stopped up until the autumn of the same or of the ^f ^^^^^^^ //J^'i^ ,^, 



it is opened and the resin taken out ^^^h ^^/^''^ fXearly w thont 

 hole is thus made, the tree yields about half a l^f >;^^> l^^^^^ 

 appreciable detriment. But if on the other Imnd a n "be^J ^^^ 

 holes are made, and especially if t^^ey are left open, a^^ ^vrus lo j 

 practice in the Piedmontese and French Alps a ^^f^^^f^^^ ^ i.^^ 

 mg to as much as 8 ft. is obtained annually, but t e uet^ 

 after some years, and its wood is ^"ch impaiiea in ^ g^j^them 

 Mohl, who witnessed the collection of this tuipentine m 



T .^ . 3 De mediclm rrfrri et nova etc., Basileac, 



l^ib. 1. cap. 92. . , p.,., , CO 



* Comment, in Uhr. i. Dioscorldh, Yenetiis, loii. ' - • 

 1565. lOfi. 



2Q 



