﻿HUNTING 
  THE 
  CHAULMOOGRA 
  TREE 
  

  

  By 
  J. 
  F. 
  Rock 
  

  

  Agricultural 
  Explorer 
  of 
  the 
  Office 
  of 
  Foreign 
  Seed 
  and 
  Plant 
  Introduction, 
  

   Bureau 
  of 
  Plant 
  Industry, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  

  

  With 
  Illustrations 
  from 
  Photographs 
  by 
  the 
  Author 
  

  

  C 
  

  

  HAULMOOGRA" 
  is 
  no 
  longer 
  

   a 
  strange-sounding 
  name, 
  for 
  of 
  

   late 
  it 
  has 
  appeared 
  frequently 
  

   in 
  newspaper 
  dispatches 
  as 
  a 
  possible 
  

   cure 
  for 
  leprosy, 
  and 
  in 
  fact 
  two 
  con- 
  

   stituents 
  of 
  Chaulmoogra 
  oil, 
  chaulmoo- 
  

   gric 
  and 
  hydnocarpic 
  acids, 
  but 
  especially 
  

   their 
  ethyl 
  esters, 
  have 
  proved 
  efficacious 
  

   in 
  the 
  treatment 
  of 
  that 
  dreadful 
  disease. 
  

   These 
  acids 
  were 
  first 
  isolated 
  and 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  and 
  their 
  esters 
  prepared 
  nearly 
  

   twenty 
  years 
  ago 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Frederick 
  B. 
  

   Power 
  and 
  his 
  assistants. 
  

  

  From 
  Hawaii 
  came 
  the 
  message 
  only 
  

   two 
  years 
  ago 
  that 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  intra- 
  

   muscular 
  injections 
  of 
  the 
  above-men- 
  

   tioned 
  acids 
  extraordinary 
  results 
  had 
  

   been 
  achieved. 
  Since 
  that 
  time 
  nearly 
  

   two 
  hundred 
  lepers 
  have 
  been 
  discharged 
  

   from 
  both 
  the 
  Kalihi 
  Receiving 
  Station 
  

   in 
  Honolulu 
  and 
  the 
  main 
  settlement 
  at 
  

   Kalaupapa, 
  on 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Molokai. 
  

  

  To 
  be 
  sure, 
  the 
  discharged 
  patients 
  are 
  

   required 
  to 
  report 
  frequently 
  for 
  reex- 
  

   amination, 
  but 
  so 
  far 
  not 
  one 
  has 
  had 
  to 
  

   be 
  readmitted 
  to 
  the 
  leper 
  hospitals. 
  Dr. 
  

   A. 
  L. 
  Dean, 
  of 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Hawaii, 
  

   prepared 
  the 
  two 
  acids 
  and 
  their 
  esters 
  in 
  

   large 
  quantities 
  for 
  clinical 
  use. 
  

  

  Chaulmoogra 
  oil 
  is 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  

   seeds 
  of 
  a 
  tree 
  known 
  as 
  Taraktogcnos 
  

   Kurzii 
  King, 
  named 
  by 
  Sir 
  George 
  King 
  

   in 
  honor 
  of 
  its 
  discoverer, 
  Kurz. 
  

  

  ASIANS 
  HAVE 
  USED 
  THE 
  OIL 
  EOR 
  

   CENTURIES 
  

  

  The 
  natives 
  of 
  southeastern 
  Asia 
  have 
  

   long 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  curative 
  properties 
  of 
  

   Chaulmoogra 
  seeds 
  in 
  skin 
  diseases 
  and 
  

   especially 
  in 
  leprosy. 
  In 
  fact, 
  they 
  relate 
  

   in 
  their 
  pre-Buddhistic 
  legendary 
  history 
  

   that 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Burmese 
  kings 
  exiled 
  

   himself 
  voluntarily 
  and 
  retired 
  into 
  the 
  

   jungles, 
  making 
  a 
  hollow 
  tree 
  his 
  abode. 
  

   Here 
  he 
  partook 
  of 
  the 
  fruits 
  and 
  leaves 
  of 
  

   the 
  Kalaw 
  tree 
  (Taraktogcnos 
  Kurzii), 
  

   and 
  in 
  time 
  his 
  health 
  was 
  restored. 
  

  

  The 
  oil 
  of 
  the 
  Chaulmoogra 
  seed 
  has 
  

  

  been 
  employed 
  by 
  Asians 
  for 
  hundreds 
  of 
  

   years 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  primitive 
  way, 
  using 
  it 
  

   both 
  externally 
  and 
  internally 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  

   latter 
  method 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  disagreeable, 
  

   as 
  the 
  oil 
  produces 
  nausea 
  and 
  disturbs 
  

   digestion. 
  

  

  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  high 
  price 
  of 
  the 
  oil 
  in 
  

   the 
  United 
  States 
  and 
  the 
  probable 
  

   scarcity 
  of 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  near 
  future, 
  due 
  to 
  its 
  

   successful 
  application 
  in 
  the 
  treatment 
  of 
  

   leprosy 
  in 
  Hawaii. 
  I 
  was 
  authorized 
  by 
  

   the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  to 
  

   obtain 
  seeds 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  to 
  be 
  intro- 
  

   duced 
  into 
  Hawaii 
  and 
  our 
  tropical 
  pos- 
  

   sessions, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  establishing 
  

   Chaulmoogra 
  plantations. 
  

  

  Bangkok's 
  charm 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  its 
  temples 
  

  

  The 
  railway 
  between 
  Singapore, 
  my 
  port 
  

   of 
  debarkation 
  in 
  Asia, 
  and 
  Bangkok 
  has 
  

   been 
  in 
  operation 
  for 
  several 
  years, 
  and 
  

   while 
  the 
  distance 
  is 
  only 
  1,018 
  miles, 
  the 
  

   journey 
  takes 
  five 
  days. 
  This 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  for 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  journey 
  the 
  

   trains 
  run 
  only 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  : 
  the 
  night 
  

   must 
  be 
  spent 
  in 
  indifferent 
  rest-houses. 
  

  

  The 
  charm 
  of 
  Bangkok 
  lies 
  in 
  its 
  won- 
  

   derful 
  temples, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  Royal 
  Wats 
  

   are 
  the 
  most 
  gorgeous. 
  The 
  most 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  and 
  historic 
  of 
  these 
  wats 
  is 
  the 
  

   king's 
  own 
  place 
  of 
  worship, 
  Wat 
  Phra 
  

   Keo. 
  A 
  wall 
  with 
  battlements 
  and 
  ancient 
  

   gates 
  of 
  queer 
  design 
  surround 
  this 
  and 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  other 
  wats, 
  including 
  the 
  old 
  

   Royal 
  Palace. 
  Only 
  the 
  roofs 
  of 
  the 
  tem- 
  

   ples 
  and 
  the 
  graceful 
  golden 
  prachedis 
  

   (votive 
  spires) 
  are 
  visible 
  from 
  without, 
  

   but 
  their 
  gorgeous 
  colors 
  permit 
  the 
  im- 
  

   agination 
  to 
  conjure 
  a 
  picture 
  of 
  even 
  

   more 
  gorgeous 
  interiors 
  (see 
  pp. 
  246-250) 
  . 
  

  

  Through 
  the 
  courtesy 
  of 
  our 
  American 
  

   Minister, 
  my 
  host 
  while 
  in 
  Bangkok, 
  I 
  

   was 
  permitted 
  by 
  the 
  Royal 
  Siamese 
  

   household 
  to 
  photograph 
  the 
  interiors 
  of 
  

   the 
  various 
  wats. 
  even 
  the 
  most 
  sacred 
  

   Wat 
  Phra 
  Keo, 
  with 
  its 
  Emerald 
  Buddha. 
  

  

  The 
  full 
  name 
  of 
  Wat 
  Phra 
  Keo 
  is 
  

   Phra 
  Sri 
  Ratana 
  Satsadaram. 
  It 
  was 
  be- 
  

  

  243 
  

  

  