338 ODOROGRAPHIA. 
The European process of refining camphor was long kept a 
secret, and until towards the end of the seventeenth century the 
entire camphor used in Europe had to be sent to Holland to be 
refined. A monopoly was also held for some time in Venice, but 
at the present day camphor refining is largely accomplished m 
England, Holland, Hamburg, Paris, New York, and Phila- 
delphia. The method formerly adopted in India was so arranged 
as to get as much interstitial water as possible into the “ camphor- 
cake.” The method may be stiil in use in India; in any case, the 
apparatus consisted of a tinned cylindrical copper drum, one end 
of which was removable; into this was put about 14 parts of 
crude camphor and 24 parts of water. The cover was then luted 
with clay, and the drum being placed upon a small furnace made 
of clay was also luted to the top of the furnace. In Bombay four 
such furnaces were built together, so that the tops formed a 
square platform. The sublimation was completed in about three 
hours. During the process the drums were constantly irrigated 
with cold water. The same practice was followed at Delhi and at 
a few other cities in India, and may be still in use. 
Camphor sublimed in this way is not stored, but disposed of at 
once before it has had time to lose weight by drymg. It is sold 
at the same price as the crude article, the refiner’s profit being 
derived from the introduction of water. 
The process adopted in Philadelphia has been described as 
follows * :—The subliming-chamber is a cylindrical iron vessel 
20 feet long and 4 feet in diameter, provided with the necessary 
openings for filling and for the escape of the volatilized camphor. 
This vessel is so set that it is not touched at any point by the 
direct fire, and to this end it rests throughout its entire length 
upon an arch of fire-brick, and the flame is kept under complete 
control by means of dampers. The condensing-chamber is 30 feet 
long, 16 feet wide, and 11 feet high, the floor, the sides, and the 
arched roof being constructed of enamelled bricks set in Portland 
cement. The object of the inventor of this apparatus was to 
obtain the sublimate in the form of a finely pulverulent snowy 
mass, and this was obtained by adding about one tenth per cent. 
of water to the crude material before sublimation. After an 
operation was finished the apparatus was allowed to remain 
* Oil and Drug News, March 7, 1882. 
