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Gutta percha

Gutta percha, a resin obtained from the Isonandra gutta tree of the order Sapotaceae, has its origins in the Malay Peninsula. It was widely applied in the industrial and medical fields the 19th century until substitutes were found, contributing to its declined commercial appeal.

Origin and distribution
The Isonandra gutta tree, from which gutta percha is obtained, is a native of the Malay Archipelago. These trees are commonly found growing in the wild in the countries of the Pacific rim, such as Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Its geographical distribution is limited almost entirely to the Malayan Archipelago, Philippine Islands, Indo-China and New Guinea. Acclimatising has been done to make the tree grow in other parts of the world and today a few Isonandra gutta trees are supposedly found in Sri Lanka and the west coast of Africa.

The Isonandra gutta tree is known to the Malays as taban, and the product as getah laban. Gutta percha is produced by coagulating the latex obtained by tapping the Isonandra gutta trees. The coagulated latex softens in hot water but remains firm otherwise. Gutta percha is obtained from two kinds of trees, the Palaquium gutta and the Dichopsis oblongifolia. Trees of the same genus and natural order, such as the species of Payena (known as getah soondie) also secrete a similar latex but of varying quality. It is the Palaquium gutta tree, which is commonly known as the Isonandra gutta tree, that is most widely found and used in the production of gutta percha.

A British surgeon, William Montgomerie (Dr), is believed to have introduced gutta percha to the West in 1843. But a supposedly much earlier introduction in 1656 was credited to John Tradescant who called the plant "mazer wood". This however was merely regarded as one of the many curiosities about plants of the east and nothing much resulted from it. Montgomerie realised its potential after conducting some experiments. He first came across gutta percha in Singapore in 1822. His interest in the latex was sparked off by the use of gutta percha by workers to made handles for their machetes. Montgomerie also observed that knife handles and medical devices could be made from the substance. In 1843, he referred his work to two places, the Medical Board of Calcutta in India and The Royal Society of Arts in London. It earned him the Royal Society of Arts' gold medal in recognition of his discovery. To make people realise its potential, the Royal Society of Arts held an exhibition in London in 1843, displaying various local items made out of gutta percha in the Malay world. Using data generated by Montgomerie and after some experimentation, medical instruments were successfully manufactured from gutta percha in Paris around the mid-19th century.

Description
The Isonandra trees are evergreen. They grow straight and tall to measure around 20 m in height. They have a lofty trunk measuring around two to three feet in diameter. The wood of the tree is very hard. The tree has many branches which always grow in the ascending direction. The branches have terminal buds on them that are always white from secreting the gutta juice. The ends of the branches have a crowd of leaves covering them. The leaves measure around two inches wide and grow four to six inches long. The upper surface of the leaves are bright green and smooth, while the under surface is brownish-red or yellowish-brown covered in fine silky hair. The flowers are small and white, and present themselves in a quadrangular manner with four flowers occurring together. The fruits are small egg-shaped berries measuring about one inch long and have seeds in them. The trees mature from when they are about 30 years old. The trees can be propagated from cuttings and from marcots. The residue from the latex varies in colour from dark yellow through red to black, depending on the kind of tree from which it was obtained. The quality of gutta percha is decided by the amount of resin present in the latex juice.

Usage
Communication
In 1866, when gutta percha was successfully used to insulate cable wires across the Atlantic ocean, Singapore contributed a very important article to world commerce. It was also a timely discovery as without the trans-Atlantic telegraph cable, the whole world would not have been put into instant communication.

The first patent for gutta percha was filed in 1846, when a trio named Alexander, Cabriol and Duclos made a laminate out of it. But the man who placed gutta percha on world headline was Cyprus Field. Undertaking a feat many had thought a folly at that time, he painstakingly laid cable wrapped in gutta percha in the deep bed of the Atlantic Ocean, causing a US-Europe communication phenomena that earned the Times of London's claim "The Atlantic is dried up, and we become in reality as well as in wish one country"in 1858. But the great enterprise though took several tries including several failures before taking off. Gutta percha passed the first time in 1858, and the first message was sent across the Atlantic ocean from Queen Victoria to President Buchanan. However within a month the connection failed and a workable cable was achieved after two more attempts. It was nearly a 100 years later that gutta percha was replaced by polyethylene as the material to insulate cable wires.

Medicine
Gutta percha is used in making traumaticin and liquor gutta percha fortior, which are 10% and 20% solution of gutta percha and chloroform respectively. They are both used in dermatology, treating small pox, psoriasis and certain types of eczemas. Liquor gutta percha fortior, commonly known as gutta percha tissue, is used as a cover for moist dressings and as a poultice in delaying evaporation. In dentistry, a prepared form of gutta percha is routinely used in root canal treatment as a filling.

Other uses
Gutta percha is endowed with unique properties. As a resin, it is plastic and mouldable, yet it is hard, making it suitable for the manufacture of golf balls and industrial belts. The first gutta percha golf ball was made in 1845 by J. Patterson in Scotland. It was hand-moulded and was known as 'gutty'. Grooves were later added to the ball to improve its flight. Liquor gutta percha fortior is used as a thin cover on linen materials to prevent them from getting stained or soiled. Pure or clear gutta is used in silk painting. Having insulating properties like that of rubber, it is used in the electrical field extensively as an insulating material. With an extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion and contraction, it is used in the manufacture of moulds and casts. In the mid-19th century, gutta percha was used to make buttons, seals, wagon belts, boot soles and jewellery. Its use was discontinued after it was found to be unstable over time especially if it was left exposed to sunlight and oxygen.

Variant names
Common name: Isonandra gutta.
Malay name: Gutta percha.
Other names: Gutta-taban, gutta-percha depurata, gummi-plasticum, gum-chickle.



Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja & Nor-Afidah A Rahman



References   
British Empire Exhibition. (1923). Pamphlets: Malayan series, Gutta percha (pp. 1-5, 7) . Singapore: Fraser and Neave.
(Call no.: RCLOS 959.5 BRI)

Moyer, S. L. (1991). Silk painting : the artist's guide to gutta and wax resist techniques (pp. 11, 12, 25, 30-31). New York: Watson-Guptill Publications.
(Call no.: RART 746.6 MOY)

Singh, R. (1995). A journey through Singapore: travellers' impressions of a by-gone time selected and arranged in a complete narrative (p. 184). Singapore: Landmark Books.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 REE)

Harvard Business School. (2001, Autumn). Submarine telegraph cables: Business and politics, 1838-1939. Business History Review, 75, 3, 543-578.

Browning, M. (2003, January 12). A long talk; 'Thread' has a lot to say about a communication breakthrough. The San Diego Union-Tribune, p. 2.

Newnham, D. (2003, October 3). Historic Blunders. The Times Educational Supplement, p. 5.

Rose, J. (2003, September 19). Antique golf clubs and bag recall origins of the game; at the museum. Stratford Beacon Herald, p. 16.

Yardley, J. (2002, August 1). The Man Who Shrank the Ocean. The Washington Post, p. 4. 

Kress, H. (n.d.). Gutta percha. Retrieved September 23, 2003, from http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/bpc1911/palaquium.html 

Plastics Historical Society. (n.d.). Gutta percha. Retrieved September 23, 2003, from http://www.plastiquarian.com/gutta2.htm


Further Readings
Canada's Digital Collections, Government of Canada. (2003). Gutta percha. Retrieved September 23, 2003, from collections.ic.gc.ca/cable/gutta.htm

Felter, H. W., & Lloyd, J. U. (1898). Gutta percha [Electronic version]. In Felter, H.W., & Llyod, J. U., King's American dispensatory. Retrieved September 23, 2003, from  http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/isonandra.html.

LoveToKnow Corp. (2002). Gutta. Retrieved September 23, 2003, from 42.1911encyclopedia.org/G/GU/GUTTER.htm

Virtual Plastics Museum. (n.d.). Gutta percha. Retrieved September 23, 2003, from www.plastics-museum.com/materials/naturals/gutta.htm

Concerning gutta percha. (n.d.). Retrieved September 23, 2003, from www.geocities.com/dwvandewalker/guttagutta.html 

The information in this article is valid as at 2003 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Nature>>Plants
Gutta-percha--Singapore
Science and technology>>Botany>>Trees



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