220 
LAURUS CAMPHORA. 
be pulverised, requiring for this purpose to be slightly moistened 
with alcohol. It is lighter thao water, (sp. gr. 0.9887) and is ex- 
tremely volatile ; hence it should be kept in close vessels, otherwise 
it loses a very considerable portion of its bulk and weight by eva- 
poration, particularly in a moist atmosphere. It melts at a tem- 
perature of 88° (Fall',), boils at 400", and sublimes in close vessels, 
crystallizing unchanged in hexagonal plates, or. according to Mr. 
W. Philips, into flat octohedrous. It readily ignites, burning with a 
brilliant flame, and giving out much smoke ; it is very sparingly solu- 
ble in water, although it communicates to it its smell and pungency ; 
according to Cadet, one French pint of water dissolves about 16 grs. 
of camphor, which are again precipitated by pure potass ; * the 
addition of carbonic acid gas considerably augments the solvent 
power of water over camphor.f Alcohol, ether, the sulphuric and 
nitric acids a little diluted, and the muriatic, strong acetic, and 
fluoric acids dissolve camphor, as also the fixed and volatile oils : 
it is separated, unaltered, from these solutions by the addition of 
water. It is decomposed by the concentrated sulphuric acid, form- 
ing artificial tannin; and by repeated distillation with nitric acid, 
it "is converted into camphoric acid. It unites with the hardest 
resinous substances, converting them into soft, tenacious masses; 
the alkalies have but little action on camphor ; when mixed with 
clay and distilled in close vessels, it is decomposed into a volatile 
oil and charcoal;! from this, it would appear to diff'er from the 
essential oils only in containing a larger proportion of carbon. Dr. 
Thomson gives its component parts as follows: carbon 6.875; 
hydrogen 1.250; oxygen 1.000. 
Medical Properties and Uses. It does not appear that 
camphor was known to the Greeks, and its first introduction into 
Europe is ascribed to the Arabians, by whom it was called Cafur, or 
Canfur, from which our name is evidently derived. § By the Arabian 
physicians it was thought to possess refrigerant powers, a supposi- 
tion which is still a subject of dispute. Camphor is stimulant, 
diaphoretic and narcotic; its stimulant powers however are very 
transitory, and are followed by sedative eff^ects. Dr. Woodville 
seems to consider it a direct sedative: " The experiments of 
Alexander," he says, " who found that his pulse was lessened ten 
* Ann. de Chimie, Ixii. 132. 
f Thomson's Mat. Med. 
t According to Bouillon la Grange, into 45.85G of volatile oil, and S0.571 of charcoal. 
j Avicenua, Serapion, Clusius Exot. 245. 
