How was musk collected by perfumeries from animals for use in perfumes.

In days gone by, the collection of musk meant that an animal would be killed to obtain it. The musk deer was hunted and slaughtered for a few drops of musk gained from his musk glands located in the genital region. Musk could also be obtained from the urine, but these were in even lesser amounts, with only traces of the much sought after ingredient. Today, manufacturers have the ability and know-how to create synthetic equivalents, which when included the chemical composition of a fragrance or perfume, smells exactly like that of the natural musk. The musk was obtained by gutting the animal to find the source situated between the stomach and the genitalia.

The musk would be scraped from the animal's glands. Musk has been a favoured fixative in the manufacturing of perfumes and fragrances alike, since early the early ancients, and is proven to be one of the most expensive substances around. Musk is a red-brown, soft, powdery component. The dried secretions are obtained from the preputial musk bag of the male musk deer, and used in medicines as well as perfumes. The name musk originated from the Sanskrit word for testicle, "muska", and to which many associate a myriad of chemicals similar in odour, but quite different in the chemical makeup. These include Ambergris, Castor, and Civet, which along with musk are the four main perfumes derived from animals. Synthesized compounds used to mimic the musk scent are often referred to as muscone. The civet cat was also highly prized for the musk scent, which was secreted from a double pouch, found under the civet cat's tail. The secreted musk is found in both the male and female cats, unlike the deer, muskrat, beaver, and musk beetles, which are all male. The harvesting of the musk was done by either scraping the musk from the live, caged animal, several times a week, or by killing the animal and removing the glands.