510 



CHINESE NOTES BALSAM OF PERU. 



1875. 



Chinese 

 Materia 

 Medica. 



Cortex 



extensive acquaintance with the literature of Eastern Asia 

 having reference to the subject, and with the Chinese flora. 

 Both are observable in a high degree in Mr. Hanbury's Chinese 

 Materia Medica, although the neatly-bound separate impression 

 which appeared in 1862 only contains 48 octavo pages. 



Dr. Theodore Martins (died 15th September, 1863), the most 

 distinguished German student, at that time, in the same branch 

 of science, and a personal friend of the author's, gave a trans- 

 lation of the work, though without the illustrations of the 

 original (Contributions to Chinese Materia Medica, Speier, 1863). 

 Eegard should be had to these researches whenever there is a 

 question of Chinese Materia Medica. 



The drug brought by Captain Winter from the Straits of 

 Winter-aims. Magellan> and described as " Winter's bark" by Clusius in 1605, 

 became confounded by degrees in a remarkable way with other 

 barks. On this subject again Mr. Hanbury threw light with a 

 sure hand, in 1862 in a paper 1 which will remain historically 

 valuable even when Winter's bark has fallen still more into 

 oblivion than now. 



Pereira occupied himself in 1850 in searching out the origin 

 of balsam of Peru ; it was reserved for Mr. Hanbury, who devoted 

 his attention to this interesting subject in 1863 and 1864, to 

 bring it to a conclusion, with the assistance of Dr. Dorat, a 

 resident on the Central American balsam coast itself. Mr. 

 Hanbury's papers on this subject, which have long since be- 

 come the common property of the literature of this department 

 of science, follow as working side-pieces to that upon storax. 

 As on the occasion of writing the latter, he acquired some 

 knowledge of the Turkish language, so, being occupied with the 

 literature concerning balsam of Peru, he felt the same obliga- 

 tion laid upon him with regard to the S.panish tongue. His 

 well furnished " study " contains in rank and file the Spanish 

 authors since the conquest of Peru, in whose works information 

 concerning the balsam and other drugs is to be found. 



In 1864 the origin of gamboge was successfully established ; 

 in 1865 Savanilla rhatany was traced back to Krameria 

 1 Pharmacof/raphia, 17. 



Balsam of 

 Peru. 



