Syst. Nat. Gmelin, i. 172. D. 1. Mammalia. Ord.l. Ruminantia. Cuvier. G. 28. Horns none. Fore-teeth eight in the lower jaw. Tusks one on each side in the upper jaw* projecting out of the mouth. Species. M. Moschiferus. The Musk Deer. Pennant, Quadr. 56.

t.10.f.1. Officinal. Moschus, Lond.Edin. Moschus Moschiferus. Concretum Moschus dictum, Dub. Musk.

Syn. Muse (F.), Bisam (G.), Muskus (Dutch), Mysk (Swed.), Denner (Dan.), Muschio (I.), Almizcle (S.), Almisea (Port.), Meshk (Arab. & H.), Castorie (Tarn.), Jebat (Malay), Mesk (Pers.), Rutta Oorrola (Cyng.), Ziakoo (Japanese).

The animal from which musk is obtained is an inhabitant of the alpine mountains of the east of Asia, particularly of the Himalaya mountains, which divide Thibet from India, where it is known by the name of custeru. It is also found in China. It is a solitary animal, living among the rocks, and frequenting the highest tops of the snowy peaks; very timid, and difficult to be taken. The length of the full grown animal scarcely ever exceeds three feet, and in its general aspect it resembles the deer; the head is not very unlike that of a hog; the eyes are black and full; and, projecting from the upper jaw, the teeth hang pointing downwards over the lower jaw; the fleece is coarser than that of the stag, but very light and soft, and varying in colour at different seasons of the year and different periods of life, chiefly from brown to nearly black, hoary underneath, and sometimes, but rarely, whitish. The tail is very short. Between the umbilicus and the prepuce is an oval bag, flat on one side and convex on the other, about two inches long and one and a half inch broad, projecting, with a very small orifice, and beset with short hairs. This is the musk bag : it is lined with a smooth membrane, which forms irregular folds, and incomplete partitions in the sac.

The musk is probably secreted by this membrane. It is empty in the young animal; but in the adult contains from 3 ij. to 3 vj. of musk, in a liquid state. The animal often expresses part of the contents of the bag, when it becomes too full, by rubbing itself against stones; and the matter thus ejected is said to be a purer musk than that which is brought to this country. The bag is generally cut from the animal while it is yet alive; and an idea prevails that the animal must be caught alive in order to obtain the musk, which is said to be absorbed and lost if the deer be shot As soon as the bag is cut away, a small hollow reed is inserted into it, that the musk may not suffer, which it would be apt to do from want of air; and the whole is tied round with a sinew of the animal.1

It is a curious fact, that two mulberry-trees growing near one another bear generally mere fruit, and that of a finer quality, than is produced by solitary trees. This is supposed to be owing to the male flowers in one of the trees being more effective than those of the other.

Musk is imported into England from China in the follicles, packed in caddies, and is termed Tonquin mush, which contain from twenty to sixty and one hundred ounces each; but an inferior kind is brought from Bengal, and a still baser sort from Russia, which is in longer and larger bags. It should always be bought in the natural follicle, or the pod, as it is denominated in mercantile language. This is a sack or bag, about the size of a pigeon's egg, covered on one side with fawn-coloured hair, and on the other side naked. The sac from a vigorous adult contains about 3 vj. of musk; but as the animal increases in age the quantity lessens. The musk itself is in grains concreted together, dry, yet slightly unctuous, and free from grittiness when moistened and rubbed between the fingers, or chewed.

As musk is a very high-priced article, it is often adulterated. When this is the case, the bag, which should not have any appearance of having been opened, appears, if narrowly ex -amined, slit or punctured in several places, through which sand, lead, and other heavy matters are inserted. The musk is sometimes nearly all abstracted, and a mixture of dried blood and asphaltum introduced into the bag: or both the bag and the musk are artificial, and only scented with real musk. The blood of the animal itself is often injected into the bag of musk, while both are warm, and they then unite.

1 Journ. of a Tour in the Himalaya Mountains, by J. B. Fraser, 4to. Loud. 1320, p. 352.

The first of these adulterations is easily detected. The presence of blood may be suspected, if the musk, when held over the flame of a candle on a thin spatula, emits, as it inflames, a foetid smoke: and asphaltum is discovered by its melting and running before it inflames, if heated on a spatula: whereas real musk inflames without running, and is converted into charcoal.1 The artificial bags are known by the inner membrane, which lines the real musk bags, being deficient. Musk which is pale or wholly black, of a faint odour, or gritty or moist, should be rejected.

Qualities.-The odour of musk is aromatic, but peculiar, extremely powerful, and durable2; the taste is bitterish, acrid, -and heavy; and the colour a deep reddish-brown. It burns with a white flame, and leaves a light spongy charcoal. Trituration with potassa developes ammonia. Boiling water dissolves about 80 parts, alcohol only 50, sulphuric ether nearly the whole. The watery infusion has a yellowish-brown colour, a bitterish taste, and the strong odour of the -musk; and reddens infusion of litmus. Solutions of bichloride of mercury and of sulphate of iron produce with it copious precipitates; as does also infusion of yellow Cinchona bark. Solution of nitrate of silver throws down a whitish precipitate, which, on exposure to the light, changes to a livid blue: and nitrate of mercury produces a brownish precipitate. The alcoholic tincture is of a reddish brown colour, transparent, with a slight odour of the musk: water renders it milky, and gives out the strong musk odour: with the other tests it presents the same results as the watery infusion. The ethereal tincture has a deep brown colour; and, when evaporated on the surface of water, deposits a brown, tenacious, nearly insipid resin, and renders the water milky.

The resinous matter has the musk odour in perfection; while the substance which occasions the turbidness of the water possesses the properties of extractive. From these results, musk appears to contain albumen, gluten, hydrochlorate of soda, phosphate of soda, and an uncombined acid; but the greater part of it consists of a resin combined with a volatile oil, and a mucilaginous extractive matter. According to Thiemann, it contains carbonate of ammonia 10, wax 9, resin 1, gluten 60, albumen 30, carbonate of potassa 1, hydrochlorate of soda 3, carbonate of lime 4 : but besides these, Guibourt and Blon-deau found elaine, stearine, cholesterine, gelatin, and fibrine.

1 The formation of ammonia, when rubbed with potassa, has also been mentioned as a test of the presence of blood; but the fixed alkalies have developed ammonia in the best specimens of musk we have ever seen.

2 "A clean cork, which stopped a phial in which there was musk, which it seemed never to have touched, in 1712, smelled of musk more than twenty years after."-Alston's Let. on Mat. Med. vol. ii. p. 542. Fee says that one part of musk will communicate its odour to 3000 parts of inodorous powder.

Medical properties and uses.-Musk is stimulant and antispasmodic. Aetius is the first writer who mentions it as a medicine; but it did not come into general use in this country till the beginning of the sixteenth century. It raises the pulse without much augmenting the heat of the body, and has a remarkable power of resolving spasm, and increasing the energy of the brain and nerves. Hence it is very efficaciously given in typhoid fevers, when low delirium, subsultus tendi-num, and hiccough supervene; and in combination with am-monia to arrest the progress of gangrene. Its beneficial effects in all spasmodic diseases are well established; and Cullen says, he can vouch for its powers in retrocedent gout, which in many instances he had seen suddenly relieved by large doses of musk.1 It checks the vomiting in cholera, at the same time that it allays the tormina of the intestines. In epilepsy I have, seen more benefit derived from musk in combination with calomel than from any other remedy; and I am inclined to attribute much of the disappointment which others have experienced, either to the remedy not having been genuine, or, to the smallness of the dose.

To obtain the full benefit of musk in this disease, the dose must be much larger than that which is usually given; it should be repeated at shorter intervals, and its use longer continued. In an old confirmed case, in which three or four fits were experienced daily, musk, given to the extent of 3ss. four times a day, reduced the number of fits to one in three months. Upon the whole, I agree with Cullen, "that musk is one of the most powerful antispasmodics we are acquainted with2;" and I regret that the high price of the drug necessarily limits very much its employment.

As a local remedy, musk is said to be useful in atonic deafness, when inserted into the ear with cotton; and it is recommended in the form of enema in the convulsions of children arising from the irritation of dentition.

Musk is best given in substance, in the form of bolus. The dose may be fromgrs. vj. to 3ss, repeated at intervals of six or eight hours. Its best preparation is the tincture.

Officinal preparations.-Mistura Moschi, L. Tinctura Moschi, D.

1 Mat. Med. ii. 381. 2 Mat. Med. 1. c. 380.