The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1905-03-18
THE VIRTUES OF cAMPHoR
Many Uses to Witch the Drug Il
Put in Treating Human
Tile

Camphor Is used In medicine, both
outwardly and inWardly, sometimes as
I q temporary stimaIant and sometimes
as sedative. Everybody has heard
OF the use of camphor drops for per-
sons liable to fainting fits. Il is fire.
| quently employed in govt and rheuma-
1 tism In small doses it acts as an ano-
/ dyne and antispasmodic, but in large
doses it is an irritant poison, says
London Health The alcoholic solu-
/ ton and the Hniments in which it is
the chief ingredient are much used for
external applications, for sprains and
| bruises, chilblains, and even for in
| cipieat paralysis. The employment OF
camphor as a medicine in England is
not very old; it was used in Germany
before it became known in England,
and in medical books of the last cen
fury is was called Campfire" AL
kinds Of healing properties were
ascribed both by English and foreign
doctors to the drug, of the importa-
ton of which from Japan the Dutch
had the monopoly. Camphor was said
to be a powerful antiseptic, to be a
cure for hypoehondriasis. and to be
useful in cases of epilepsy.
1t was administered mixed with vine
gar, or rubbed up with mucilage OF
gum arabic, or combined with GER
tain quantity of sweet almonds. There
cannot be any doubt that camphor has
many medicinal uses, end could be III
spared from the pharmoeopoeia, but
fbpro &c Gonna ron en1ofia,, ~, 1,,
in the fact that it is possible to pre-
pare artificial eamphor by the mutual
action of hydrochloride acid gas and
oil of turpentine, which produces
white substance possessing a camphor-
like odor, and which is soluble in alco-
hol, Camphor, condiments, and the
cordial which he himself invented and
to which he gave his own name, were
the three chief specifics recommended
for the cure Of almost every ailment
TO which human flesh is heir by the
skilfu1 chemist and fervid republican,
Raspail. Year after year, in his once
popular Almanaek, the virtues of cam
phor were extolled, and, could the
French saVant revisit the glimpses of
the moon, his spirit would be soreiy
troubled by the Intelligence that, in all
probability, there is likely to be q scar
city OF camphor. Since the war the
imports of the odorous drug have
fallen off to prodigious extent It is
not only, however, on Japan that we
depend for eampnor Almost all the
of commerce is the product
Of the eamphor laurel, or camphor tree,
which is a native not only of Japan.
but OF China, Cochin China and For
mosa, and it's cultivation has been in
trodueed into Java and the West In
dies, two regions which have certainly
not been affected by the war in the
Faf east. The Chinese eamphor tree is
found in Kwang-Si and Sukien, and af-
lords both timber and gum for exporfa-
ton and domestic use. The gum is
procured from the branches. leaves and
chips by first soaking them in water
until the liquid becomes saturated with
It, When 1t is turned out into an
earthen basin to coagulate, and under
goes other treatment. It comes tic
market IN a crude state, and is usually
again refined after reaching Europe.
mere is also an oil extracted from
samphor, which rarely comes to Ell-
'ope, and the article made in Bornee
md sumatra is SO much esteemed in
he far east that even in markets of
Japan 200 pounds Of the eamphor of
ne latter country used to be given In
for one pound of the product
II the former. The Borean camphor
$ white like chalk, but has the same
NEIL and taste as that of China and
apan. The natives ascrfhe extraor-
linary medicinal virtues to it, and fire.
Iuently hang it powdered in bags
round their necks or around their
waists. wrists and ankles, and, curious
y enough, this use of powdered cam
nor was stronly advocated by Ras-
'ail.