262      BALSAM  OF  PERU  IN  THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH. 
tives  and  others  who  procure  and  dispose  of  it  to  the  various 
markets. 
The  musk  in  the  membranous  bladder  yields  nearly  double 
the  quantity  of  grain  musk  to  an  equal  weight  of  musk  with  the 
skin  and  hair  London  Pharm.  Journ.^  Feb.,  1861. 
NOTE  ON  THE  USE  OF  BALSAM  OF  PERU  IN  THE  ROMAN 
CATHOLIC  CHURCH, 
By  Daniel  Hanbury,  F.  L.  S. 
In  an  interesting  notice  respecting  the  liquid  commonly, 
though  incorrectly,  called  Balsam  of  Peru,  given  some  months  ago 
in  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  the  writer.  Dr.  Charles 
Dorat,  pointed  out  the  curious  fact  that  the  balsam  was  at  one 
time  in  such  great  esteem,  that  its  employment  was  sanctioned 
by  high  ecclesiastical  authority  in  the  preparation  of  the  chrism 
used  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  It  appears,  moreover,  that 
there  still  exist  among  the  archives  of  Guatemala,  copies  of  bulls 
of  Popes  Pius  IV.  and  V.,  authorizing  the  clergy  to  make  use  of 
this  balsam  in  the  Holy  Chrism,  and  pronouncing  it  sacrilege  to 
destroy  or  injure  the  trees  producing  it. 
Thinking  it  would  be  interesting  to  ascertain  with  precision 
the  terms  of  these  ancient  documents,  I  asked  my  friend,  Signer 
Vincenzo  Sanguinetti,  Professor  of  Mineralogy  at  Rome,  to 
make  application  in  the  proper  quarter,  and  to  obtain  for  me,  if 
possible,  copies  of  the  bulls  in  question.  Professor  Sanguinetti 
was  kind  enough  promptly  to  respond  to  my  request,  but  he 
found  that  the  records  of  bulls  issued  during  the  pontificate  of 
Pius  IV.  have  been  lost,  and  that  none  can  now  be  discovered 
in  the  archives  of  the  Vatican.  His  search  for  the  bull  of  Pius 
V.  was,  however,  successful,  and  he  forwarded  me  a  copy,  which, 
with  a  translation,  I  have  given  below.  It  will  be  observed  that 
the  bull  allows  the  substitution  of  Balsam  of  Peru  for  Mecca 
Balsam,  which  latter,  mixed  with  oil,  constitutes  the  ordinary 
Chrisma  principale  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.* 
*  Vide  Dr.  Hook's  Church  Dictionary,  Ed.  6,  Lond.,  1852,  where  Chrism 
is  thus  defined : 
"  Chrism — Oil  consecrated  in  the  Romish  and  Greek  churches  by  the 
