Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Jan.,  1889. 
Massoi  Baric. 
39 
On  the  inside  of  the  cover  of  the  same  box  is  the  following  note  : — 
"  Professor  C.  L.  Blame,  in  reply  to  my  inquiry  respecting  this,  a 
specimen  of  which  I  sent  him,  writes  thus  under  date  January  5,  1857. 
"  2.  ficorce  ayant  P odeur  de  la  Casca  pretiosa  du  Bresil  (Sing- 
apore). C'est  Cortex  Massoi  figure  dans  la  Bumphia,  quoique  la  face 
interne  de  votre  echantillon  soit  un  peu  plus  claire,  ce  qui  parait  re- 
sulter  de  Page  de  Parbre.  Son  odeur  penetrant,  balsamique,  tirant 
sur  Pessence  de  citron,  est  tres  characteristique.1  Je  possede  de  cet 
arbre  de  la  Nouvelle  Guinee  seulement  les  branches  avec  les  feuilles, 
ce  qui  me  met  en  etat  de  dire  que  c'est  bien  une  Laurinee  mais  n'ap- 
partenant  pas  au  genre  de  Cinnamomuni." 
It  may  be  here  remarked  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  describe  an  odor, 
and  although  Hanbury  has  identified  it  with  Guibourt's  bark,  Ecorce 
de  massoy  de  la  Nouvelle  Guinee/  Guibourt  gives  quite  a  different 
description  of  its  odor.  When  the  odor,  as  in  the  case  of  Massoi 
bark,  resembles  a  mixture  of  odors,  it  is  naturally  likened  to  different 
products  by  different  observers.  Guibourt,  in  the  following  descrip- 
tion of  the  bark,  likens  it  to  cummin. 
"  Telle  que  je  me  la  suis  procuree  a  une  exposition  qui  a  en  lieu  il  y 
a  quelques  annees  a  Paris,  sous  le  nom  de  Musee  japonais,  cette  ecorce 
est  cintree,  epaisse  de  7-8  millimetres,  couverte  d'un  epiderme  gris 
rougeatre  legerement  tuberculeux  et  forruee  d'un  libre  gris  rose  dur  et 
compacte  a  structure  un  peu  radiee  sur  sa  coupe  transversale.  Elle 
possede  une  odeur  tres  forte,  analogue  a  celle  du  cumin,  et  une  saveur 
tres-acre  avec  le  meme  gout  de  cumin." 
I  have,  however,  not  depended  upon  my  own  opinion  alone,  but 
have  obtained  from  more  than  one  observer  a  corroboration  of  the 
opinion  that  the  odor  resembles  that  of  cocoanut  milk.  Leaving, 
however,  odor  out  of  the  question,  Guibourt's  description  of  the  struc- 
ture of  bark  corresponds  exactly  to  the  bark  of  Sass<tfras  Goesianum 
of  the  Haarlem  Museum,  and  as  the  Hanbury  specimen  has  been 
identified  by  himself  with  Guibourt's,  and  by  Professor  Blume,  with 
the  bark  of  the  tree  described  in  "  Rumphia,"  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  to  this  tree  the  true  Massoi  bark  must  be  ascribed. 
Whether  or  no  this  be  the  massoy  bark  from  New  Guinea  from 
which  Messrs.  Schimmel  also  have  distilled  an  oil  having  an  odor 
resembling  that  of  nutmegs  and  cloves,  cannot  be  ascertained  in  the 
1  The  lemon  odor  is  not  very  perceptible  ;  in  the  specimen  it  resembles  more 
nearly  rue  or  the  fruits  of  Xanthoxylum  alatum. 
