242 
PHARMACEUTICAL MEETING. 
botanical description should be obtained) the Myrospermum of Sonsonote. Upon 
the death of Pereira, the late Dr. Royle drew up in botanical terms a description 
of the tree, upon which he conferred the name of Myrospermum Pereiras , which 
in 1857 was changed by Klotzsch of Berlin to Myroxylon Pereiras, he main¬ 
taining the distinctness of the two genera Myrospermum and Myroxylon .* 
The question of the origin of Balsam of Peru having been thus elucidated, there 
may seem little reason for again bringing it before the Society; but having re¬ 
ceived within the last fortnight, through the kindness of Dr. C. Dorat, some¬ 
what ampler information upon certain points, accompanied by some excellent 
original sketches representing the collection of the balsam at Juisnagua, near 
Sonsonate, I think the subject sufficiently interesting and important to deserve 
further attention. I am the more strongly of this opinion because I find that 
continental pharmacologists are by no means agreed as to the botanical origin and 
place of production of the balsam, or even as to the mode of its manufacture, 
one of the most recent writers describing it to be obtained by boiling the bark 
and branches or else by destructive distillation like tar, and two others naming 
four species of Myroxylon as being probably employed to yield it. 
Dr. Dorat, with whom I have interchanged letters occasionally for some years 
and from whom I recently requested information upon certain points connected 
with the history of Balsam of Peru, thus replies to the inquiries contained in my 
last letter. 
As I presume that you are writing a description of the Balsam-tree, I send you by re¬ 
turn steamer the required answers to your questions, together with a specimen of the 
naturally-exuded resin, and a few beetles which are invariably found under any part of 
the decayed bark of the Myrospermum .f That no possible mistake might exist on my 
part, I rode to Juisnagua, it being still the collecting season, and took a sketch of the 
process, which, with a verbal description, will, I trust make all clear to you.J 
Now to answer your questions:—as to the natural or spontaneous exudation. In young 
trees, say, until the sixth or eighth year I have never seen any. After that age a green¬ 
ish resin is frequently found during the summer months on the northern side of the trees 
when they are at rest, that is from December to May. It is at first frothy and of a pale 
yellow colour, but as it becomes hard it changes to green. It occurs in small quantities 
and is difficult to get clean, as it is very sticky. It has a slightly bitter taste, but no aroma. 
The Indians consider that the trees which produce much of it yield an inferior balsam. 
This however is only one of their many superstitions concerning these trees. The largest 
quantity I have myself seen was upon a very old tree ; it appeared in large tears lying 
one over the other, almost like grapes. 
Early in the months of November or December, or after the last rains, the balsam- 
trees are beaten on four sides of their stems with the back of an axe, a hammer, or other 
blunt instrument until the bark is loosened, four intermediate strips being left untouched 
that the tree may not be injured for the next year. Five or six days after, men with 
resinous torches, or bundles of lighted wood apply heat to the beaten bark, which be¬ 
comes charred. It is left eight days during which the burnt pieces of bark either fall or 
are taken off. As soon as they perceive that the bare places are moist with the exuding 
balsam, which takes place in a few days, pieces of rag (of any kind or colour) are placed 
so as entirely to cover the bare wood. As these become saturated with the balsam, which 
is of a light yellowish colour, they are collected and thrown into an earthenware boiler, 
three-quarters filled with water, and stirred and boiled gently until the rags appear nearly 
clean, and the now dark and heavy balsam sinks to the bottom. Fresh rags belonging to 
the same owner are continually being put into the boiler until sun-down, when the fire 
is extinguished; when cold the water in the boiler is poured off, aud the impure balsam 
set aside. During this process the rags that appear to have been cleared of balsam are 
* JBonplandia, 15 Sept. 1857, p. 274. 
f Mr. Francis Welker, who has been good enough to examine this insect, considers it 
identical with the Pcissalus interstitialis of Percheron. 
X [The woodcut representing this sketch is unavoidably deferred to our next number.— 
Ed. Pit. Joukn.] 
