Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/446

* GUTSCHMID. 396 GXJTTA-PERCHA. uud seiner Xachbarldnder von Alexander dem Orossfit bis ^iim Ciiterganffdcr Arsaciden (1888). GtrTSMXITHS, goots'inSots, Joiiann Chkis- TOPH Fkieukich (1750-1839). A German peda- gogue and (.-o-foundcr of German athletics. He uas born at Quedlinburg, and after studying theology under Semiier, Niemayer, and Knapp at Halle, became preceptor in the parental home of the renowned geographer Karl Hitter, upon v.liose development Gutsmuths exercised a power- ful influence. He subsequently became instructor in various branches, but more especially in ath- letics, technology, and geography, in the newly established educational institution at Sehnep- fenthal, wiiere he remained for more than fifty years. He may, perhaps, be said to have been the first in Germany to systematize the study of geography and to make it interesting. He also ranks as one of the chief promoters of athletics, on which subject he published the following works: G^ymnastik fur die Jugriid, the first Ger- man te.t-book on gymnastics (latest ed. 1893) ; Spiele fiir die Jiigend (8th ed. 1893). His Hand- hiirh der (jcographie (4th ed. 1820) was also im- portant in its day. GUT'T.a! (Lat., drops). Pendent ornaments attached to the under side of the mutuics iq.v. ), and to the band under the triglyphs of the Doric order. They are in the form of the frustum of a cone or are cylindrical. They are obviously reproductions in stone of pegs or nails, which had a practical purpo.se in the wood and clay structures from which the Doric style was de- veloped, but in the stone buildings have become merely ornamental. GXJT'TA-'PEB'CHA (Jlalay gatah, gum + percha, name of a tree). A substance in many respects similar to caoutchouc, and consisting of the dried milky juice of certain trees and climb- ers, the best being obtained from the Isonandra gutta, which is found in the peninsula of Malacca and the ^Malayan Archipelago. The tree belongs to the natural order Sapotaceip. It is a very large tree, the trunk being sometimes three feet in diameter, although it is of little use as ii timber-tree, the wood being spongy. The leaves are alternate, on long stalks, obovate-oblong, en- tire, somewhat leathery, green above, and of a golden color beneath. The flowers are' in little tufts in the axils of the leaves, small, each on a distinct stalk, the corolla having a short tube and si.x elliptical segments; they have' twelve stamens and one pistil. Other trees producing good gutta are found in Cochin-China. Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Australia. In 1860 vast forests of gutta-percha trees were found in Guiana, and many varieties of the tree flourish in the luxu- riant forests of Brazil. An inferior quality is obtained from trees and climbers in Africa and ^Madagascar. There is also a variety known as caoutchouc puttenx. which combines many of the characteristics of gutta-percha and india-rubber. The gutta-percha of commerce conies chiefly from the Sunda Islands, Goehin-China, Cambodia, and Hindustan, Singapore being the chief shipping port. The different varieties on the market are designated by the place where they grew, the best being that coming from Macassar and Sarawak. The present mode of obtaining the gutta-percha is a most destructive o7ie. and attempts arc being made in many countries to regulate by legislation •the collection of the juice. The finest trees are selected and cut down, and the bark stripped ofT; l)etween the wood and bark, a milky juice is found, which is scraped up into little troughs made of plantain-h-avcs. 'Ihc milk, as it Uow.s from the tree, is sno^v-white, but darkens on being exposed to the air. Like rubber, a thick cream forms on the top of the milk when allowed to stand. This is removed, molded into cakes, and thrown into boiling water, from which it emerges ready to be shipped. Unfortunately, the gath- erers do not hesitate to mix earth or other im- purities in the cake to add to its weight, so that it is difficult to obtain the pure article. It is imported in blocks and lumps of five to ten pounds weight, in various forms, chiefly large cakes, or rounded into gourd-like lumps. It has a very light, reddish-brown, or almost a flesh col- or, and is full of irregular pores elongated in the direction in which the mass has been kneaded. It has a cork-like appearance when cut, and a pe- culiar cheese-like odor. Before it can be used, it has to undergo some preparation. This con- sists in slicing the lumps into thin shavings, which are placed in a de'iling or tearing machine revolving in a trough of hot water. This reduces the shavings to exceedingly small pieces, which, by the agitation of the tearing teeth, are washed free from many impurities, especially fragments' of the bark of the tree, which, if not separated, would interfere with the compactness of its texture, which is one of its most important qualities. The small fragments, when sufficiently cleansed, are kneaded into masses which are rolled several times lietween healed cylinders, which press out any air or water, and render the mass uniform in texture. It is then rolled be- tween heated steel rollers into sheets of various thickness for use, or is formed into rods, pipes, or tubes. Hollow tubes are made in a machine similar to that which is used for making maca- roni. Sometimes caoutchouc guttcux is mixed with the gutta-percha to make it more supple, or india-rubber to make it more elastic. Gutta-percha was known in Europe long before its peculiar character and possible uses were un- derstood. It W'as from time to time brought home liy voyagers, in the form of drinking-bowls. which excited much curiosity on account of the material of which they were made. Some thought it a species of india-rubber; others asserted it to be a kind of wood, which they named mocer tcood, from its use in making these drinking-cups. Gutta-percha is now turned by surgeons to various uses, chiefly for splints and covering moist applications to retard evaporation. A splint of gutta-percha is made by taking a rigid board of the substance cut to the desired shape, soaking it in hot water, and then bandaging it to the limb. In a few minutes the gutta-percha is found hard, and modeled to the shape of the parts. Gutta-percha being readily soluble in chloroform, such a solution is sometimes used for covering raw surfaces, as when the chloro- form evaporates it leaves a pellicle of solid gutta- percha. It is also used in dentistry. It softens in warm water, and can be molded into any form in that state, as when soft it is not sticky, and turns well out of molds. It will .always be of great value as a material in which to take casts, as it can in the soft state be made to take the sharpest forms most faithfully: and as it quickly becomes hard, and preserves its shape, if not too thin, the range of its utility in this