GUTTA PERCHA.
By THOMAS OXLEY, Esq., A. B.
Senior Surgeon of the Settlement of Prince of Wales’ Island, Singapore and Malacca.
Although the Trees yielding this substance abound in our in- digenous forests, it is only four years since if was discovered by Europeans. The first notice taken of it appears to have been by Dr, W. MONTGOMERIE in a letter to the Bengal Medical Board in the beginning of 1813, wherein he commends the substance as likely to prove useful for some surgical purposes, and sup- poses it to belong to the Fig tribe. In April 1843 the substance was taken to Europe by Dr. ALMEIDA who presented it to the Royal Society of Arts of London, but if did not at first attract much attention, as the Society simply acknowledged the receipt of the gift; whereas shortly after they thought proper to award a gold medal to Dr. W. MONTGOMORIE for a similar service. Now, as the discovery of both these Gentlemen rested pretty much upon the same foundation:—the accidental falling in which it in the hands to some Malays who had found out its greatest peculiarity,—and, avail- ing themselves thereof, manufactured it into whips which were brought into Town for sale: there docs not appear any plausible reason for the passing over the first and rewarding the second. Both gentle- men are richly to be commended for endeavouring to introduce of public notice. a substance which has proved so useful and interest- ing. The Gutta Percha having of late attracted much attention, and as yet but little being known er published about it, I would now propose to supply, to the best of my ability, this desideratum, and give a description of the Tree, its product and uses, so far as it has been made available far domestic and other purposes, in the place of its origin.
The Gutta Percha Tree, or Gutta Túban as it ought more pro- perly to he called,—the Percha producing a spurious article, —belongs to the Natural family Sapoteae, but differs so much from all describ- ed Genera, having alliance with both Achras and Bassia, but dif- fering in some essentials from both, that I am disposed to think it is entitled to rank as a new genus. I shall therefore endeavour to
