59 BALSAMODENDRUM OPOBALSAMUM 



appear that the bags or bales which contain the myrrh when 

 opened in Bombay, are found to be made up of myrrh of various 

 qualities, mixed with another allied gum-resin, which is probably, 

 according to Dymock, the opaque bdellium of Guibourt; it is 

 termed in the local markets meena hdrma, true myrrh being 

 distinguished under the name of kdrdm. In Bombay the contents 

 of the package are sorted, the myrrh being separated from the 

 bdellium, and then the best myrrh is picked out and forwarded to 

 Europe ; the darker pieces constitute myrrh of second quality ; 

 and the refuse is exported to China. Nearly all the myrrh used 

 in Europe and elsewhere, is obtained from Bombay. In the year 

 1872 73 the exports amounted to 546 cwt., of which 493 cwt. 

 were forwarded to the United Kingdom. 



General Characters and Composition. Myrrh is in irregular 

 roundish pieces, varying in size from small grains up to that 

 of a hen's egg, or rarely, as large, or even larger, than a man's fist. 

 The pieces either consist of distinct tears, or are agglutinated 

 masses of tears. Externally, the masses of myrrh have an opaque 

 appearance, a reddish-brown or reddish-yellow colour, -and are 

 covered by a fine powder. They are brittle, and when broken the 

 fractured surface presents an irregular, somewhat translucent, 

 rich brown, moist, and oily appearance ; and in many cases 

 exhibits opaque whitish spaces or striae, which the ancients 

 compared to the white marks at the base of the finger-nails. The 

 odour of myrrh is peculiar, aromatic, and agreeable ; the taste 

 bitter, aromatic, and acrid. The finer pieces are sold as picked 

 myrrh, and were formerly distinguished as Turkey myrrh. 



Myrrh is essentially composed of gum, resin, and volatile oil. 

 It is only partially soluble in water, alcohol, or chloroform ; the 

 first liquid taking up the gum principally, and the two latter the 

 resin and oil. When triturated with water myrrh forms a brownish - 

 white milky emulsion. The gum, which resembles gum arabic, 

 although not altogether identical with it, constitutes on an 

 average from 40 to 50 per cent., but sometimes over 60 per cent. 

 The volatile oil, which may be readily obtained by the distillation 

 of myrrh with water, is a yellowish, somewhat viscid liquid, with 



