OBSERVATIONS ON MYRRH. 
171 
ART. XLVII. — OBSERVATIONS ON MYRRH. 
By C. H. Ruickoldt. 
According to Ehrenberg, myrrh is derived from Bal- 
samodendron Myrrha, N. ab Esenb. It is secreted in the 
form of an oily juice from the bark of the tree, resembling 
cherry-gum, soon hardens by exposure to the air, and gra- 
dually becomes reddish or red-brown. In general only one 
kind is forwarded by way of Cairo, the Myrrha naturalis, 
which is then sorted in the European markets. It is doubt- 
ful what the ancients understood by myrrh. Its use as a 
medicine was known at the remotest periods ; it was em- 
ployed for fumigation in sacrifices, as a spice with food, for 
perfumery and for embalming the dead. The following 
are the kinds known in commerce: — 
1. Myrrha electa. — Irregular, larger or smaller, angular 
or tear-shaped fragments, of a light yellow to a dark brown- 
ish-red colour, semi-transparent, usually coated with dust, 
but sometimes bright and possessed of lustre. On the sur- 
face of fracture it is uneven, has a waxy or fatty lustre, and 
exhibits numerous white curvilinear veins. The odour is 
peculiar, the taste bitter, balsamic. The specific gravity, 
according to Martins, is 1.360. When breathed on, the 
fragments exhibit a more lively lustre and are somewhat 
fatty to the touch. When chewed, this myrrh readily 
breaks into fragments and adheres firmly to the teeth ; at 
the same time the saliva is rendered milky. On being 
heated, it puffs up, and burns with a very smoky flame. 
2. Myrrha naturalis seu in sortis consists of the more 
impure pieces which remain after picking out the previous 
sort. We likewise meet in it with the impurities of the 
Myrrha naturalis, especially bdellium, further gum-arabic 
and cherry-tree gum moistened with tincture of myrrh, &c. 
The bdellium resembles the myrrh very much in appear- 
