A  October  i9i5rm*}  The  Examination  of  Chaulmoogra  Oil.  475 
examination  of  the  oil  of  Gynocardia  odorata,  remark  that  the  oil 
of  Gynocardia  seeds  is  a  liquid,  whereas  the  chaulmoogra  oil  of 
commerce  (i.e.,  that  made  from  taraktogenos  seeds)  is  a  solid. 
Now  their  observations  are  quite  at  variance  with  those  obtained  by 
the  examination  of  genuine  oil  from  the  Indian  Forests  Products 
Company  (if  we  take  their  guarantee  to  be  true — and  we  have  no 
reason  to  believe  otherwise). 
The  above  botanical  notes  show  that  the  matter  is  in  an  un- 
satisfactory condition  as  to  the  exact  source  of  chaulmoogra  oil. 
The  various  analyses  by  different  observers  support  this  view. 
In  my  opinion,  the  oil  of  genuine  taraktogenos  seeds  expressed 
by  cold  process  is  liquid  at  ordinary  temperatures,  and  the  oil  ob- 
tained by  hot  expression  of  these  seeds  is  solid  or  semi-solid,  whereas 
the  oil  from  Gynocardia  seeds  is  probably  semi-solid,  whether  ob- 
tained by  cold  or  hot  process.  These  observations  I  will  confirm  as 
soon  as  I  get  the  genuine  seeds. 
Previous  Workers. 
The  oil  from  various  seeds  had  previously  been  examined  by 
John  Moss,2  E.  Heckel  and  F.  Schlagdenhauffen,3  A.  Petit,4  A.  H. 
Allen,  J.  Schindelmeiser,5  F.  B.  Power  and  F.  H.  Gornell,6  E. 
Herschohn,  F.  B.  Power,  and  T.  H.  Lees,7  Power  and  Barrowcliff,8 
and  Pabisch.9  Of  these,  the  papers  of  Dr.  Power  and  his  col- 
laborators give  the  latest  information  on  these  oils.  The  results 
of  Pabisch  are  merely  a  copy  of  Dr.  Power's  researches. 
The  oil  of  Oncoba  echinata  has  been  examined  by  E.  Goulding 
and  N.  C.  Akers.10 
The  results  of  all  these  observations  differ  from  one  another  and 
also  from  my  own  observations  in  many  respects.  They  are  given 
in  the  form  of  a  table  at  the  end  of  this  paper. 
2  "  Year  book  of  Pharmacy,"  1879,  523-533. 
3  Journal  de  Pharmacie  et  de  Chimie,  1885. 
4  Journal  de  Pharmacie  et  de  Chimie,  1892,  445. 
5  Apoth.  Zeit.,  1904,  306. 
6  /.  C.  S.,  1904. 
7  /.  C.  S.,  1905,  349- 
8  Ibid.,  1904,  884-896. 
9  P harm.  Post,  1903. 
"Proc.  C.  S.,  1913,197-198. 
