AmAP°rnr;iiirm'}         African  Balsam  of  Copaiba.  187 
appears  to  be  used  to  adulterate  other  articles,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  ordinary  copaiba  and  peppermint  oil.  So-called 
Central  American  copaiba  is  being  offered  on  the  market  at  a  cost 
of  10  per  cent,  less  than  the  actual  cost  of  the  crude  Central  Ameri- 
can laid  down  on  dock,  New  York,  although  the  latter  has  to  be 
cleaned,  which  involves  a  heavy  loss,  before  it  can  be  sent  out  to  the 
trade.  This  fact  offers  a  strong  clue  to  the  probable  destination  of 
the  African  balsam,  as  does  also  the  statement  of  Ernest  J.  Parry,  a 
prominent  analytical  chemist  of  London,  who  found  what  he 
thought  to  be  the  essential  oil  of  African  copaiba  in  so-called  pep- 
permint oil  from  New  York  State,  offered  on  the  London  market. 
My  remarks,  so  far,  refer  to  the  abuses  of  African  copaiba  which 
have  caused  it  for  the  past  ten  or  twelve  years  to  figure  in  an  unfa- 
vorable light.  My  closing  remarks  will  deal  with  the  article  itself 
and  its  possibilities  of  legitimate  medicinal  use. 
African  copaiba,  as  found  upon  the  market  in  the  crude  state,  is  a 
thick,  strong-smelling  liquid,  containing  over  10  per  cent,  of  water 
and  dirt.  This  water  is  very  difficult  to  separate,  as  the  specific 
gravity  of  the  copaiba  (0-9916  to  0-9996)  combined  with  the  viscosity 
of  the  liquid,  prevents  the  settling  out  of  much  of  the  water,  while 
the  mixture  is  so  thick  that  it  will  not  in  the  cool  state  run  through 
a  filter. 
We  have  successfully  used  the  following  method  in  our  laboratory. 
A  number  of  tin  funnels  of  i-gallon  capacity  were  fitted  into  a  large 
wooden  box  containing  a  series  of  steam  pipes  in  such  a  manner 
that  the  stem  of  each  funnel  protruded  from  the  bottom  of  the  box. 
These  funnels,  with  their  filters,  were  filled  with  the  copaiba,  and 
steam  at  a  low  pressure  (to  avoid  loss  of  volatile  oil)  was  turned  on, 
when  the  heated  liquid  was  found  to  filter  rapidly  and  effectively. 
To  separate  the  water  from  the  cleaned  liquid,  we  made  use  of  the 
following  device  :  The  mixture  was  placed  in  a  jacketed  kettle  fitted 
with  a  tap  in  the  bottom,  and  heated  for  some  time  at  a  temperature 
below  the  boiling-point  of  water.  The  heat,  by  rendering  the 
copaiba  more  fluid,  allowed  the  water  to  settle,  and  it  was  then 
tapped  off  from  the  bottom.  The  product  so  obtained  was  of  a 
dark-brown  color,  with  a  reddish  tinge,  very  fluorescent,  and  with 
an  odor  very  different  from  the  other  copaibas.  Upon  standing  for 
some  time,  it  deposited  crystals  ot  what  appear  to  be  oxycopaivic 
acid.    We  have  obtained,  by  distillation  with  steam,  from  43-5  to 
