— i6 — 
The report of the invention of a process for manufacturing arti- 
ficial camphor has produced a panic in Japan. The „Osaka Mainichi" 
newspaper published on May 15^^ the following article on this subject 
(translated from the Japanese into English): — 
A fearful rival of camphor. 
The camphor monopoly bill did not pass in the last congress, but fearing 
that the bill will again be brought into the next congress, the manufacturers 
are selling and manufacturing as much as they possibly can. This time there is 
a fearful rival, a great Chemical Co. in Germany having found a way to make 
artificial camphor out of turpentine oil, the price being 50 Yen against our 
camphor at 60 Yen. 
The German Chemical Co. has sent the specification to the Formosa 
Government, and the question now is whether to buy the patent, or to 
compete with German artificial camphor, reducing our price to 35 Yen or so. 
If the German process is to be adopted, the monopoly bill will not be laid 
before the next congress. Mr. Golos, a high official, is said to be making a 
trip to Europe, in order to visit the Chemical Co. and to investigate the matter. 
As far as we know, artificial camphor has not yet made its 
appearance on the market. If its manufacture at a price which 
meets competition should succeed, the camphor monopoly might 
become completely a question of the past. 
Mr. Nakazo Sugiyama, of the Board of Health at Yokohama, 
has read a paper before the Japanese Pharmaceutical Society of 
Tokio on "The manufacture of safrol from camphor oil", which has 
been pubhshed in the "Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan" 
No. 242, April 1902. 
As this paper also contains interesting information on the pro- 
duction of camphor from camphor oil, and as we have succeeded 
in obtaining a translation of it from the original Japanese text, we 
reproduce below an abstract of its contents, especially as the paper 
would probably not find its way into the technical press on account 
of the difficulty of the translation. 
„Distinction is made between four kinds of camphor, viz., Joko 
camphor, Tehuko camphor, mountain camphor, and refined camphor. 
Joko camphor is Tehuko camphor well dried; mountain camphor is 
the name given to the article which is obtained from the source of 
production. Refined camphor is the product manufactured in the 
districts of Osaka and Kobe by separation from the crude camphor 
oil. The camphor exported to Europe and America is chiefly mountain 
camphor; in addition to this, refined camphor is also exported. 
Camphor oil is classified as crude oil, white oil, and red oil. The 
character of these oils is explained in the following: — 
