Science papers : chiefly pharmacological and botanical / by Daniel Hanbury ; edited, with memoir, by Joseph Ince.

  • Daniel Hanbury
Date:
1876
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Science papers : chiefly pharmacological and botanical / by Daniel Hanbury ; edited, with memoir, by Joseph Ince. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    150/578 page 130
    The second author is the Abb4 Mazeas, who, in a communi- cation under date 18 Jan. 1769 addressed to the Journal des Sgavans} states that on a plain in the neighbourhood of Tivoli, near Eome, sheltered on the IST. and N.E. by a chain of moun- tains contiguous to Monte Genarro, Eocca Giovane, S. Polo &c. which form a semi-circle open to the south,—in fact, in a very warm situation, the Btyrax shrub yields by incisions in its bark, the valued exudation known as Styrax en larmes. As the account of Storax left us by Dioscorides who was a native of Cilicia, one of the countries affording the drug, is important, I will here give its literal translation, subjoining in a note the Latin text of Sprengel,^ the latest commentator upon that author. Account by Storax is the exudation of a certain tree resembling a quince- Dioscorides ^^^^^ j^- preferred yellow and shining, resinous, having whitish [translation], j^^-^^^-^pg^ retaining for a long period a ver}^ grateful odour; when softened, it emits a certain honey-like humidity. Such is the Gabalite, the Pisidian and the Cilician [Storax]. That of bad quality is black, friable and branny. There is also found an exudation resembling gum, transparent, myrrh-like ; but this is produced rarely. Storax is adulterated with the powder of the tree itself, made by the erosion of little worms, honey and the dregs of iris ^ and some other things, being added. There are the Botanic Garden there. The experiment was quite unsuccessful: neither aqueous sap nor resinous juice flowed from the incisions. 1 Vol. for 1769, p. 105. ^ Styrax lacrima est arboris cuiusdam cydonise similis. Prsefertur flavus ac pinguis, resinosus, grumos habens albicantes, quam diutissime in odoris gratia permanens, quique dum mollitur, melleam quamdam humiditatem ex se remittit. Talis est gabalites, pisidius ac cilicius. Deterior niger, friabilis ac furfurosus. Invenitur et lacrima gummi similis, transparens, myrrhse semula ; verum hsec raro nascitur. Adulterant autem arboris ipsius scobe, vermiculorum erosione facta, admisto melle et iridis crassamento aliisque nonnullis. Non desunt, qui et ceram aut sebum aromatis imbutum ad solem acerrimum cum styrace subigant et per colum latis foraniinibus pervium in aquam frigidam, quasi vermiculos effingentes, exprimant et venumdent, quem styracem ideo vermiculatum appellant. Imperiti eum tan quam sincerum admittunt, non attenti ad odoris insignem vehementiam. Est enim admodum acris, qui fraudis expers est. -sf if * » Pedanii Dioscoridis Anazarbei de Mat. Med., lihri v., ed. Curt. Sprengel. Lips. 1829, 30. T. i. p. 82 (lib. i. cap. Ixxix.). ^ Possibly some residue obtained in making the preparation called Irini spissammtum described lib. i. cap. Ixvi. 1857. Styrax en larmes.
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3