320 ODOROGRAPHIA. 
of alonger period. The transverse section, examined by means of a 
lens, displays the numerous narrow medullary rays and wide vessels, 
partly empty, partly loaded with yellow resin. It has a strong, 
persistent, agreeable and characteristic odour, especially when 
freshly cut. Perfumes are difficult to compare, but, by some per- 
sons, that of santal wood is thought to resemble a mixture of musk 
and rose. ‘The taste is aromatic. ‘ Three sorts are recognized in 
the commercial houses of China, viz. ‘ South Sea Island,’ ‘ Timor,’ 
and ‘Malabar’; the last fetches from three to four times as high 
a price as either of the others” *. “ Malabar” santal is included 
amongst parcels commercially called “ Bombay Santal” +. Under 
the microscope the wood is seen to consist of tracheides intersperse:| 
with solitary pitted vessels and traversed by narrow medullary rays. 
Among the tracheides are parenchymatous cells of about the same 
diameter as the tracheides ; it is in these the essential oil is con- 
tained ; they are isolated, but two, or perhaps three, are found in 
close proximity. In transverse section, single large crystals of 
calcium oxalate are seen. These are contaimed in angular cells 
arranged in vertical rows. The medullary rays consist of two rows of 
thickened, pitted cells, and contain resin. In the sap-wood, which 
is scentless, both vessels and medullary rays are less distinct f. 
The Mysore Government have establishments for distilling the 
oil, which is also sold at the annual auctions along with the wood, 
and chiefly bought up for exportation to China and Arabia The 
roots yield the largest quantity and the finest quality of oil. 
Dr. Bidie describes the method of distillation in India as fol- 
lows :— The body of the still is a large globular clay pot of about 
21 feet deep by about 6 feet circumference at its widest part. No 
capital is used to this still, but when in use, the mouth is closed 
with a clay lid having a small hole in its centre, through which a 
bent copper tube about 53 feet long is passed for the escape of the 
vapour. The lower end of the tube is conveyed inside a copper 
receiver, placed in a large porous vessel containing cold water. 
When preparing the santal for distillation, the white or sap-wood 
is rejected and the heart-wood is cut into small chips, of which 
* Fliickiger and Hanbury, ‘ Pharmacographia,’ 1874, p, 543. 
+ Durand, “ Etude sur les Santalacées,” Théses de la Faculté de Médecine 
de Paris, 1874. 
{ The microscopic sections of various santal woods are delineated by Petersen 
in Pharm, Journ. [3] xvi. p. 758; and by Kirkby, ibid. pp. 859 and 1065. 
