TALM^.. 533 



at Palembnng to procure this drug. It appears that the resiu 

 exudes ill abundance from the fruit, and, being rory brittle, is 

 easily detached by shaking and friction ; finally it is exposed to 

 a heat sufficient to make it form a unifornn mass. An inferior 

 quality is said to be extracted from the crushed fruit by boiling. 



This drug is not mentioned by Indian writers on Materia 

 Medica, but it is now frequently supplied by native druggists, 

 and their customers probably do not distinguish it from the 

 genuine article. 



Description.- — Lump Dragon's blood only is imported 

 into Bombay from the East : it occurs in large blocks of 

 irregular form ; it differs from Socotra Dragon's blood in 

 containing remains of the fruit and numerous scales. Its 

 fracture is somewhat porous, but in good samples the colour is 

 nearly as brilliant as that of the drops from Socotra. 



Chemical composition. — A very complete investigation of the 

 properties of the various kinds of Dragon's blood has beeu 

 made by Messrs, Dobbie and Henderson. {Pharm. Journ., 

 Nov. 1 0th, 1883.) They say: •' Our results may be summed 

 lip as follows: — There are at least four distinct kinds 

 of red resin presently sold as Dragon^s blood, or labelled 

 in collections under that name- One variety is brick-red 

 in colour, melts at about 80*^0., gives off red-coloured 

 bighly irritating fumes when decomposed by heat, dissolves 

 readily with an orange-red colour in alcohol, ether, chloro- 

 form, carbon bisulphide and benzene, is insoluble or only 

 slightly soluble in cold caustic soda, ammonia, lime water and 

 sodium carbonatp. and dissolvfts with difficulty when boiled in 



these reagents* Its alcoholic solution has an acid reaction and 

 gives a brown-red coloured nrecipitate when 



mix 



solution of lead acetate. Its composition may be represented 

 ^y the formida C^^H^^O*. This is undoubtedly the resin of 

 Calamus Draco, some of the specimens which were examined 

 ^ving their origin well authenticated. 



'* A second variety is of a beautiful carmine-red colour, melts 

 about 100° C. jrivpa nfF nnn-irritatinff fumes whcu deconiDosed 



