EUCAL YPTUS. 2 9 j 



Hook., var. Citriodora, stands pre-eminent. It has contained as much 

 as 95 percent, of citronellon and 5 per cent, of geraniol. It is soluble in 

 from 4 to 5 parts of 70 per cent, alcohol. One sample was optically inac- 

 tive, another slightly dextrogyre. Boils between 209 deg. and 220 deg., 

 sp. gr. .87 to .90,* but .87 to .88, according to Wilkinson. 



The oil of the " Lemon-scented Ironbark " (E. Staigeriana] F. v. M. 

 is even more sweetly scented. It is high in oil yield. Its sp. gr. at 15 

 deg. C. is .88, and it boils between 223 deg. and 233 deg. It contains 

 Citral.t Owing to their volatile nature these oils have not been that 

 commercial success it was hoped they would have been. 



*Bericbt, October, 1893. Mb. 



Cineol (Eucalyptol] is represented by the formula Cio Hi6 O. Its 

 specific gravity is .930, and boiling point 176-177 deg. C. It is a colorless 

 and transparent liquid, is optically inactive, and belongs to the Camphor 

 Group. It crystallises at a low temperature (i deg. C.), and this property 

 enables it to be separated (by repeated crystallizations) in a pure state 

 from mixtures containing it In our warm climate the separation of crys- 

 tallizable Cineol is attended with difficulty, particularly if it contain ter- 

 penes, for those bodies are solvent in Cineol. In fact the presence of 

 Cineol in an oil rich in turpenes is very difficult to detect, and hence such 

 oils have often been returned as containing no Cineol, when, as a matter 

 of fact, they do contain it. There are certain chemicals tests for the de- 

 tection of Cineol, but they are by no means easy of application. 



It has been assumed, and it has been endeavored to prove, that Cin- 

 eol is the only therapeutically active constituent of .Eucalyptus oils. It 

 is the practice of some to determine the value of Bucalyptus Oils simply 

 according to the percentage of Cineol. But we must suspend our judg- 

 ment in regard to Cineol being the only valuable constituent of Bucalyp- 

 tus Oil. I am personally aware of beneficial effects which have attended 

 the use (for inhalations, etc.) of oils which I have shown to practically 

 consist of Phellandrene. Endeavors are made to completely replace 

 Bucalyptus Oil in therapeutics by the pure body (Cineol). I do not dis- 

 pute the therapeutic value of Cineol, and while I am fully aware of the 

 advantage in therapeutics of dealing with a substance of defined chemi- 

 cal composition, it will be found impossible in practice to supplant the 

 innumerable Bucalyptus Oils of all degrees of Cineol content, and some 

 of which are nearly or entirely destitute of it. 



Cineol has been included in the Pharmacopoeia of the United States. 

 Tests imposed, in addition to those indicated above, are that equal parts 

 of Cineol and soda-solution shaken together, must not change in propor- 

 tion of volume; also, the alcoholic solution must not alter the color of 

 litmus-paper, nor assume a brown or violet color by the addition of a 

 drop of solution of ferric chloride, showing absence of phenols. 



