296 



1861. 



MANUFACTURE OF BALSAM OF PERU. 



apostolic, or given forth by provincial and synodal councils 

 whether special or general, to the contrary notwithstanding. 



Given at Rome, at St. Peter's under the Fisherman's ring, 

 this 2nd day of August, 1571, in the 6th year of our Pontificate. 1 



ON THE MANUFACTURE OF BALSAM OF PERU. 



(Gewinnung des Perubalsams.} 



1863. 



Pereira's 



account 



confirmed. 



IT is now thirteen years since the late Dr. Pereira laid before 

 the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain some account of 

 the process by which the liquid known as Balsam of Peru is 

 prepared in the State of Salvador in Central America, and at 

 the same time described, so far as the imperfect materials at his 

 disposal would allow, the tree from which the balsam is obtained. 

 Subsequently to this, namely, in the year 1860, Dr. Charles 

 Dorat, of Sonsonate in the State of Salvador, communicated to 

 the American Journal of Pharmacy a notice of the manufacture 

 of Balsam of Peru completely confirmatory of that given by 

 Dr. Pereira, which account was published in the Pharmaceutical 

 Journal. 



The balsam-tree, which Pereira at first regarded as Myroxylon 

 pubescens, HBK, was afterwards called by him provisionally 

 (until materials for a complete botanical description should be 

 obtained) the Myrospermum of Sonsonate. Upon the death of 

 Pereira, the late Dr. Royle drew up in botanical terms a de- 

 scription of the tree, upon which he conferred the name of 

 Myrospermum Pereirce, which in 1857 was changed by Klotzsch 

 Myroxylon of Berlin to Myroxylon Pereirce, he maintaining the distinctness 

 of the two genera Myrospermum and Myroxylon. 2 



The question of the origin of Balsam of Peru having been 

 thus elucidated, there may seem little reason for again bringing 

 it before the Society ; but having received within the last fort- 

 night, through the kindness of Dr. C. Dorat, somewhat ampler 

 information upon certain points, accompanied by some excellent 

 original sketches representing the collection of the balsam at 

 Juisnagua, near Sonsonate, I think the subject sufficiently 



1 N. Repert.f. Pharm. x. 302. 



2 Bonplandia, 15 Sept. 1857, p. 274. 



Pcrcirce. 



