552 
Reviews. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I  November,  1899. 
"Mr.  S.  A.  Owen  to  Superintendent,  Hakgau  Botanic  Gardens. 
"  Talawakele,  March  30,  1898. 
"Dear  Mr.  Nock  :—  Thauks  for  the  parcel  of  camphor  primings  duly  re- 
ceived. I  have  made  several  experiments.  The  following  is  the  account  of 
method  employed  and  results  : 
*■**#* 
"A  gallon  iron  kettle  was  packed  with  1%  pounds  of  leaves  and  small  twigs, 
together  with  about  2  pints  of  water.  The  cover  of  the  kettle  was  luted  on 
and  the  spout  fitted  with  a  cork,  while  a  long  glass  tube  proceeded  from  the 
cork  to  a  condenser.  Applied  heat  gradually,  and  kept  it  up  for  five  hours. 
At  the  end  of  this  time  the  sides  of  the  condenser  were  coated  with  camphor, 
and  small  lumps  were  floating  in  the  water  which  distilled  over.  All  the  cam- 
phor was  collected  carefully  and  dried  between  bibulous  paper  (to  absorb  most 
of  the  adhering  oil).  It  then  weighed  55  grains,  which  is  equivalent  to  12 
ounces  to  the  hundredweight,  or  15  pounds  to  the  ton. 
"I  think  the  results  very  encouraging,  as  the  leaves  and  young  parts  of  the 
camphor  tree  contain  but  a  very  small  proportion  of  camphor  compared  with 
the  trunk-wood.  Indeed,  I  believe  that  in  Formosa  and  other  camphor-pro- 
ducing countries  it  is  customary  to  altogether  discard  the  branches  and  leaves 
and  use  the  main-wood  ouly. 
"  I  should  think  that  planters  who  have  young  camphor  trees  coming  on  here 
in  Ceylon  would  find  it  well  worth  their  while  to  utilize  their  prunings — espe- 
cially if  fire-wood  is  available  and  cheap,  as  this  latter  item  would  be  practi- 
cally the  only  expense,  beyond  the  small  amount  of  labor  required  and  the 
initial  expense  of  a  still,  which  latter  could  be  easily  extemporized  out  of 
almost  any  kind  of  large  iron  vessel  to  which  heat  could  be  applied.  As  the 
camphor  tree  is  a  long  while  coming  to  maturity,  considerations  of  this  kind 
ought  to  be  borne  in  mind. 
"  I  have  pleasure  in  enclosing  a  small  sample  of  the  camphor  obtained.  As 
you  will  see,  it  has  a  rather  dirty  appearance,  due  to  unavoidable  impurity,  and 
the  sample  smells  of  camphor  oil,  but  these  are  easily  got  rid  of  in  the  process 
of  refinement.  I  also  enclose  a  small  sample  of  the  same  camphor  partly 
purified  by  sublimation. 
"  You  are,  of  course,  very  welcome  to  make  what  use  you  like  of  this  account 
of  these  small  experiments,  whether  by  publication  or  otherwise.  No  doubt 
it  would  be  encouraging  to  those  who  have  gone  to  the  expense  of  planting  up 
camphor  trees  to  know  that  there  is  camphor  in  our  locally-grown  trees.  I 
have  heard  of  one  or  two  misgivings  as  to  whether  the  soil  and  climate  here 
would  favor  the  formation  of  camphor  in  the  tree. 
"  Yours  faithfully, 
[.Signed]  "S.  A.  Owen." 
REVIEWS  AND  BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
The  Dispensatory  of  the  United  States  of  America.  By  Dr.  George 
B.  Wood  and  Dr.  Franklin  Bache.  Eighteenth  Edition.  Thoroughly  revised 
and  largely  rewritten.  With  illustrations.  By  H.  C.  Wood,  M.D.,  LD.D.; 
Joseph  P.  Remington,  Pn.M.,  F.C.S.,  and  Samuel  P.  Sadtler,  Ph.D.,  F.C.S. 
Philadelphia:  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company.    August,  1899. 
