STORAX. 



1857. The second author is the Abbe* Mazeas, who, in a communi- 



Styraxcn cation under date 18 Jan. 1769 addressed to the Journal des 

 tonnes. ggavans, 1 states that on a plain in the neighbourhood of Tivoli, 

 near Home, sheltered on the K and N.E. by a chain of moun- 

 tains contiguous to Monte Genarro, Eocca Giovane, S. Polo &c. 

 which form a semi-circle open to the south, in fact, in a very 

 warm situation, the Styrax shrub yields by incisions in its bark, 

 the valued exudation known as Styrax en larmes. 



As the account of Storax left us by Dioscorides who was a 

 native of Cilicia, one of the countries affording the drug, is 

 important, I will here give its literal translation, subjoining 

 in a note the Latin text of Sprengel, 2 the latest commentator 

 upon that author. 



Account by Storax is the exudation of a certain tree resembling a quiuce- 



Dioscorides fa QQ ^ jj. j g p re f erre d yellow and shining, resinous, having whitish 



[translation]. i uin ps, retaining for a long period a very grateful odour ; when 



softened, it emits a certain honey-like humidity. Such is the 



Gabalite, the Pisidian and the Cilician [Storax]. That of bad 



quality is black, friable and branny. There is also found an 



exudation resembling gum, transparent, myrrh-] ike ; but this is 



produced rarely. Storax is adulterated with the powder of the 



tree itself, made by the erosion of little worms, honey and the 



dregs of iris 3 and some other things, being added. There are 



the Botanic Garden there. The experiment was quite unsuccessful : neither 

 aqueous sap nor resinous juice flowed from the incisions. 



i Vol. for 1769, p. 105. 



* " Styrax lacrima est arboris cuiusdam cydonise similis. Prsefertur flavus 

 ac pinguis, resinosus, grumos habens albicantes, quam diutissime in odoris 

 gratia pennanens, quique dum mollitur, nielleam quanidam humiditatem ex 

 se remittit. Talis est gabalites, pisidius ac cilicius. Deterior niger, friabilis 

 ac furfurosus. Invenitur et lacrima gummi similis, transparens, myrrhse 

 ji'iuula ; verum heec raro nascitur. Adulterant autem arboris ipsius scobe, 

 vermiculorum erosione facta, admisto melle et iridis crassamento aliisque 

 nonnullis. Non desunt, qui et cerani aut sebum aromatis imbutum ad 

 solem acerrimum cum styrace subigant et per colum latis foramiinbus 

 pervium in aquam frigidam, quasi vermiculos eftingentes, exprimant et 

 venumdent, quern styracein ideo vermiculatum appellant. Imperiti euni 

 tanquam sincerum admittunt, non attenti ad odoris insignem veheinentiam. 

 Est enim admodum acris, qui fraudis expers est. * * * n 

 Pedanii Dioscoridis Anazarbei de Mat. Med., libri v., ed. Curt. Sprengel. 

 Lips. 1829, 30. T. i. p. 82 (lib. i. cap. Ixxix.). 



3 Possibly some residue obtained in making the preparation called Irini 

 spissamentum described lib. i. cap. Ixvi. 



