DRUGS. 



the text seems so far to support the view of Gooyul being the ancient 

 Bdellium or Madalcon. But the musk region of the Himalayas may he 

 as appropriately described as compassed by the Indus, as Sindh and the 

 Punjab. The association of Bdolach with gold points also to Thibet. 

 Nothing is known of the locality of Havilath independently of the Pishon. 

 So much for the positive argument for Bdolach being Musk. With regard 

 to the negative ; neither the descriptions of the Bible, Dioscorides, nor Pliny 

 in the least resemble Googul, while all indicate Musk. Pliny gives Bactriana 

 as the country of Bdellium ; but says it also comes from Arabia and Media, 

 the Median being called "peraticuin" (Trepara yijs) or " from the uttermost 

 parts of the earth." The musk deer is not only found in the Himalayas 

 but in Siberia, Tonguin, and Cochin China, and a substance analagous to 

 Musk (Hyraceum?) is brought to Bombay by Zanzibar merchants. 

 Googul, however, is found not only in Northern India, but in Arabia ; 

 nevertheless, I am of opinion that Pliny never meant Gooyul by Bdellium, 

 and that probably his " Indian Myrrh" and "Scordastum" refer to the 

 modern Bdellium of India. It is strange that although familiar with 

 Castoreurn, no ancient writers mention Musk unequivocally ; ^Etius (A. D. 

 550), being the first (Pereira) who describes it. The etymology of musk 

 - is not determined. The connection of the " onyx stone " with 



"bdellium" in Genesis (ch. ii. v. 11) renders it necessary to remark 

 that the word "onyx" is used in another sense in Scripture, accord- 

 ing to Calmet, than that of the stone Shohem. Thus the word Shecheleth 

 is translated by the LXX. as "onyx " (oi/v, a nail) meaning the celebrated 

 " odoriferous shell " of the ancients ; although others understand by 

 it Ladanum (the balsam of Cistus creticus, W. ; C. ladaniferus, W. ; 

 &c.) arid Bdellium. Pliny says of Bactrian Bdellium that it "is 

 shining and dry and covered with numerous white spots resembling the 

 finger nails." And such Bdellium would appear to have been the 

 /SSe'XX?; ow of Damocritus, an obscure medical writer quoted by Saracenus 

 in his Scholia in Dioscoridis, and of Galen as quoted by Salmasius in his 

 PlinianfB Exercitationes. Salmasius states that from the Greek words 

 fj.a8f\Kov, /j-aXaxr], the Arab Molochil (Mukul) is derived ; which, if true, 

 would lessen the force of Lassen's arguments in favour of the Bdellium of 

 the Bible being Musk, if they were etymological only. Bochart asserts 

 that the Bdolach of the Bible is neither a stone nor bdellium, but a 

 shell, genus Unio. Hooker has called the Indian Bdellium tree B. Mokul y 

 but I have not the means to determine satisfactorily whether this is a new 

 plant, or a new name simply of the long known tree placed at the head of 

 this article. Drury states that B. Mohul is distinct from B. roxbiirghii. 

 Stocks states that, in Sindh, B. pubescens also yields Googul. In the 

 Himalayas the Juniperus reliyiosa (Royle), and in the Bhore Ghat Cana- 

 rium strictum (Rox.) are called Googul. The Googoola of the Telingoos is 

 Boswellia glabra (W. et A.) Of the other kinds of modern Bdellium, 

 " African " is obtained from B. africanum, the Nioutout of Senegambin, 

 and Cerardia furcata (Compositse) ; " Egyptian " from Hyphcene thebaica 

 (Palmse) ; and " Sicilian " from " Daucus gummifer " (Umbelliferaj). 

 See also "Gums and Resins." 

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