55 ^GLE MARMELOS 



size of a large orange, and is covered with a hard woody 

 rind. It is rarely imported entire, but is usually found in 

 commerce in dried slices, or in fragments consisting of por- 

 tions of the hard woody rind and adherent dried pulp and seeds. 

 The rind is about 1| lines thick, and is covered with a smooth, 

 firmly adherent, pale brown or greyish epicarp, and, internally, as 

 well as the dried pulp, has a brownish-orange or cherry-red 

 colour. This colour of the pulp is, however, only superficial, for 

 when broken it is seen to be colourless. It has no marked 

 odour; but the taste of the pulp is mucilaginous and feebly acid, 

 without any astringency, sweetness, or aroma. 



According to the analyses of Professor Macnamara and Mr 

 Pollock, bael fruit contains tannic acid, a concrete volatile oil, a 

 bitter principle, and a balsamic principle, resembling in odour 

 Balsam of Peru. But as an infusion of bael exhibits no per- 

 ceptible change when acted upon by a per- or proto-salt of iron, 

 the amount of tannic acid which it contains must be very small 

 indeed ; and Fliickiger and Hanbury, speaking in reference to 

 the above analyses, say that they are not able to give any confir- 

 mation to them, nor to ' ' explain by any chemical examination upon 

 what constituent the alleged medical efficacy of bael depends." 

 According to them, the pulp when moistened with cold water 

 yields a red liquid chiefly containing mucilage, and probably 

 pectin. 



Substitutions. In this country the substitution of the dried 

 rind of the Mangosteen fruit (Garcinia Mangostana), for Bael 

 Fruit has been noticed by one of us, and described in the ' Phar- 

 maceutical Journal/ Mangosteen rind may be readily distin- 

 guished from Bael fruit by its darker colour, greater thickness, 

 absence of adhering pulp, easily separable epicarp, and by some 

 of the pieces having upon them dark-coloured radiating wedge- 

 shaped projecting processes (stigmas). 



The fruit of Feronia Elephantum, Correa, which is commonly 

 known under the name of Wood Apple, is also sometimes sub- 

 stituted for Bael fruit ; as is also Pomegranate Peel, which will be 

 hereafter described under the head of Punica Granatum. The 



