38 THE CAMPHOE LANGUAGE OF JOHOEE. 



" Andreas of Belluma in his Dictionary writes that the Arabs 

 distill camphor water from the camphor tree About this liquid 

 I inquired much among' doctors and merchants but could find no 

 one who had seen it, whence 1 easily conjecture that he in des- 

 cribing it made a mistake.* 



" Ruellin and Mathiolus following him and both after 

 Serapion write that this camphor excelled all others in good- 

 ness which was called Riachina after a certain king Rihah 

 (who first discovered the method of w^hitening it). But 

 1 cannot see how that since the Indian kings were very power- 

 ful, they should have any need to turn their attention to 

 the showing off of their trade products." 



Garcia then proceeds to discuss whether it is hot or cold. He 

 imagined at first that it was hot, but finding that it was cooling 

 when used for opthalmia and inflammation of the eyes, concludes 

 that it is of a cold nature. Avicenna states that camphor makes 

 people wakeful, but how can that be since Avicenna himself 

 says it is of a cold nature, and cold things usually send one 

 to sleep ! But he concludes that by taking a little sleep may be 

 produced. At the same time, however, if anyone smells it often 

 enough and applies it to his nostrils it dries up the brain and 

 keeps him awake. Such are the quaint ideas as to drugs of 

 exactly three centuries ago. 



Borneo camphor was evidently known long before that of 

 the Chinese Camphor Laurel, and was always very highly prized 

 and to this day it is too expensive for the European market. It 

 is eagerly bought by the Chinese, Siamese, and Japanese for 

 incense, embalming, and medidne. 



According to the account given by the Jakuns the camphor 

 oc'jurs in cracks in the interior of the tree, which has to be -,plit 

 in pieces and the wood carefully scraped. The camphor thus 

 obtained is washed free from fragments of wood and sap, and 

 sold to the Chinese at Kwala Indau. The price varies according 

 to quality from fifteen to forty dollars a katti. 



Camphor oil is a different product, obtained by making a 

 hole in the side of a tree and burning it in the same manner as is 

 adopted for obtaining Minyak Kruing and other wood oils. It 

 is also, in Borneo and Sumatra at least, found in hollows and splits 

 in the wood. 



* Doubtless he was alluding to Camplior oil. 



