Adrienne Leighton, age 13, of Dotham, Ala., for her question:

HOW DO WE GET CAMPHOR?

Camphor is the,chemicai substance that comes from the camphor tree. Camphor is taken from branches of the tree by stewing them until they give off drops of camphor as if they were perspiring. The camphor is drained and pressed to remove the oil and water it contains.

Camphor is then left in the form of whitish crystals. These crystals are purified into liquid form.

The United States manufactures large quantities of synthetic camphor

and does not depend on imports which come chiefly from Japan, China and the island of Taiwan. There are also some camphor trees in southern California and the southern states.

Over 80 percent of the camphor produced today is used to make motion picture film and celluloid. Most of the remainder is used in medicine.

A medical camphor called spirits of camphor ii  a mixture of 10 parts camphor, 70 parts alcohol and 20 parts water. It is a mild antiseptic that is used sometimes in gargles and mouthwashes.

Tall camphor trees are members of the laurel family.