Statements supposed to pertain to elemi made during the period of the Romans are based largely on surmise.5) In Europe, elemi became known in the course of the 15. century,6) being used as an external remedy.7) However, its use was anything but general and at the time of Valerius Cordus, little was known concerning the resina elemnia.8) The regular introduction into Europe of Philippine elemi does not date back farther than about 1820.9)

1) Euonymi Philiatri Ein kostlicher theurer Schatz. 1555. p. 163. 2) Dissertatio. Erlangae 1787. 3) Philosoph. Transact. London 1839, 301. 4) Liebig's Annalen 36 (1840), 306.

5) Fluckiger, Pharmakognosie. III. ed., p. 88. - Fluckiger and Hanbury, Pharmacographia. p. 147.

6) Monardes, Historia medicinal de las cosas que se traen de nues-tras Indias occidentales qui sirven en medicina. Sevilla 1574. - Editio Clusii 1593, p. 315. - W. Piso, Historia naturalis et medica occidentalis 1658, p. 122. - Ray, Historia plantarum 1704. Vol. 3. Appendix p. 60 and 67.

- B. Pomet, Histoire des drogues. Paris 1694. p. 261.

7) Winkelmann, Urkundenbuch der Universitat Heidelberg 1886, I. 125, 32. - Fluckiger, Dokumente zur Geschichte der Pharmazie. 1876. p. 26.

- Fluckiger, Die Frankfurter Liste 1872. p. 16.

8) Valerii Cordii Historia stirpium. Lib. IV, cap. 97, p. 208.

9) Arch, der Pharm. 17 (1826), 72.

Distilled oil of elemi is first mentioned in the price ordinance of Frankfurt-on-the-Main of 1587. It was admitted to the Phar-macoposa Augustana of 1613 and the Frankfurt Pharmacopoeia of 1649.1)

The first determination of the yield of oil was made by Caspar Neumann2) about 1730. Redeterminations were made later by Manjeau3) and Bonastre.4)