MOSCHUS MOSCHIIERUS. 



and covered externally with coarse hairs. As it is a very high 

 priced article, it is frequently adulterated by a mixture of dried 

 blood and asphaltum ; and sometimes the bag is punctured in 

 several places, and lead, sand, and other heavy matters introduced. 

 The presence of dried blood may be suspected, by its emitting as 

 it inflames, a foetid smoke ; and asphaltum is discovered by its 

 melting, and running before it inflames if thrown on a hot iron ; 

 whereas genuine musk inflames without running and leaves only 

 charcoal. 



Musk, when pure, appears in small lumps or grains, of a deep 

 brown colour, resembling coagulated blood ; feels unctuous to the 

 touch; has a strong, peculiar, aromatic, diffusible odour; and a 

 bitterish sub-acrid taste. It is a most powerful and durable per- 

 fume, and a few grains of it will yield an odour for years, without 

 any sensible diminution in weight or power. So powerful, indeed, 

 is the smell of musk, when fresh taken from the animal, or from 

 quantities put up by the merchants for sale, that it has been known 

 to occasion hsemorrhagies from the nose, eyes, and ears, of those 

 who have imprudently inhaled its vapours ; and we are assured by 

 Chardin, that whenever he was engaged in making purchases of 

 musk, he always found it necessary to cover his face with several 

 folds of a handkerchief, in order to be sufficiently secure against 

 the sudden effects of the perfume. The odour of this substance 

 is most agreeably developed when mixed with certain other per- 

 fumes, as civet, ambergris, lavender, &c. Musk yields part of its 

 active matter to water, by infusion ; alcohol, takes up most of its 

 active parts, though the odour is only discovered upon dilution, 

 and sulphuric ether dissolves it almost completely. The watery 

 infusions are decomposed by the oxymuriate of mercury, sulphate 

 of iron, nitrate of silver, and the infusion of yellow bark. Musk, 

 as Dr. Duncan justly observes, is seldom met with in commerce 

 in a perfectly genuine state, but always more or less sophisticated ; 

 hence, the great diversity of the results of its chemical analysis. 

 From the very sensible ammonaical odour which it emits, it has 

 been concluded that it is a resinous body combined with a volatile 

 oil and mucilaginous extractive matter. M. Nysten,' (Diet, de 

 Med.) states it to consist principally of a volatile oil, a resin, and 

 adipocere ; but I do not know whether he has arrived at this 



