Commercial and scientific notes on essential oils. 77 



criticism. Link 1 ) has already found the proper answer, so that we may refrain from 

 going into details. We would only add that the good quality of the French product 

 is due to the peculiar composition of the French turpentine, and to the methods of 

 producing the gum and distilling the oil. Koch's assertion "that an excess of volatile 

 constituents in the gum, the loss of which during the exudation has no great effect" 

 was responsible for the superiority of the French turpentine oil, is absolutely unfounded. 

 As to the author's opinion that the direct production of turpentine oil from stumps 

 had so far been unknown in Germany and other countries, Link remarks that about 

 40 years ago already an excellent pure turpentine oil has been obtained by steaming 

 resinous wood. Link mentions that he himself constructed a factory in Western 

 Prussia, in 1893, and another in Volhynia, in 1901, where the oil was drawn from 

 the wood in a specially constructed apparatus, before being carbonized. The high 

 costs of production, combined with the competition from abroad, which sent the prices 

 down, prevented the construction of more such plants. He thinks that now conditions 

 have altered somewhat, as more trees are cut in the forests and the competition of 

 other countries is less keenly felt. 



The factory in Volhynia, erected by Link, produced in the first four years 1554 tons 

 of turpentine oil, 144.48 tons of pine oil, 10298.4 tons of tar, 1680 tons of acetate of 

 lime (80 to 82 per cent.), 210 tons of wood-spirit (calculated as 100 per cent.) and 

 12196.8 tons of charcoal, from 168000 cubic metres of wood. 



The products offered as turpentine oil in Esthonia during the last three years were, 

 according to J. Schindelmeiser 2 ), exclusively pine or sulphate oils. The pine oil pro- 

 duced in Esthonia contained from 50 to 75 percent, of pinene; that from the East was 

 also rich in pinene, whereas the Finnish product contained more cymene. If, like in 

 Finland, the oil is obtained at a higher temperature, cymene forms at the expense of 

 the pinene. The Esthonian crude oil differed greatly in that sometimes up to 75 per cent, 

 could be distilled off with steam, but in some cases barely 20 per cent. The sulphate 

 oil, coming from the Swedish wood pulp factories, but bought and sold as French oil, 

 consisted almost entirely of cymene. 



The odour of sulphate turpentine oil can be improved according to L. Schmidt 3 ) 

 by heating the oil for two hours with sodium peroxide under a reflux condenser. The 

 product is then filtered in order to separate it from the yellow deposit formed and 

 distilled with steam. The turpentine oil thus obtained is said to resemble the French oil. 



F. Baum, of Jena University's Women's Hospital, used against certain inflammations 

 injections of the following kind: turpentine oil 4 grams, eucupin 0.2 grams, olive oil 

 16 grams. As albuminuria was sometimes noticed 'after this treatment, one must be 

 careful in case of inflammation of the kidneys 4 ). 



As a treatment of spotted fever, A. Brenner 5 ) recommends oil of turpentine (to be 

 taken every hour in doses of 0.05 to 0.1 gram) or terpin hydrate. Besides, the remedy 

 is to be inhaled. 



Valerian Oil. — In Belgium, the costs of the production of valerian root, including 

 farmt-rent, wages, §c, are four times as high as before the war. The 1920 crop is 

 said to be of very good quality, the roots being clean, heavy, of light colour and 



J ) Chem. Ztg. 45 (1921), 820. — 2 ) Pharmacia 1921, No. 3, p. 16. — 3 ) D. R. P. 340126, dated 27. II. 1919. 

 As per Chem. ZentralU. 1921, IV. 1016. — *) Med. Klinik 1921, No. 13. As per Vierteljahresschr. f. prakt. Fharm. 

 IS (1921), 1,30. — <>) Mimeh. med. Wochenschr. 1921, p. 992. As per Therap. Halbmonatsh. 35 (1921), 642. 



