220 
ON THE SCAMMONY AND JALAP OP COMMERCE. 
BY H. STTGDEN EVANS, E.C.S. 
I have received very few samples of these drugs or their preparations 
through the Secretaries of the Conference, and am indebted to casual cir¬ 
cumstances for the specimens now reported upon. 
Few drugs, perhaps, reach the market more highly seasoned by adultera¬ 
tion than scammony, or of such varying quality from causes dependent upon 
soil and situation of growth, or the mode of collection and preparation of the 
drug. 
The Greek peasants are most careful in the collection and preparation, and 
hence they furnish the market with the finest qualities. The Turks, on the 
contrary—indolent by nature and careless by habit, but industrious in fraud— 
furnish the inferior qualities, and the very carelessly-gathered scammony is 
often sophisticated and deteriorated by an addition of from 20 to 150 per cent, 
of earthy matter before it reaches the dealers at the port of shipment. Here 
again, to suit the requirements of the British market, it is further “ blended” 
with definite proportions of rubbish, called “ skillip.” In olden times scam¬ 
mony, as collected in mussel-shells, without any further preparation, was ex¬ 
ported, and the drug attained a high repute as a sure and effective medicine ; 
but we cannot feel surprise, on reviewing the following results of analysis, 
that it should now be in comparative disfavour, and regarded as a medicine 
of very uncertain action. 
Analysis of Seven Specimens of so-called Virgin 
Scammony. 
No. 1. 
Percentage of resin 
soluble in ether. 
Very choice flat cake . . . 96*52 
2. 
Good ordinary .... 
84*23 
3. 
Ordinary ..... 
71*79 
4. 
Ditto ..... 
63*52 
5. 
Ditto ..... 
60*68 
6. 
Ditto . 
59*54 
7. Specimen, per Hon. Sec., labelled") 
“ G., cost 42^., had been kept in a > 95*10 
damp cellar for fourteen years” . ) 
Analysis of Eight Samples of Aleppo and Low Scammony. 
No. 1. 
• •••••« 
47*62 
2. 
• t • • • • • 
39*24 
3. 
• •••••• 
26*58 
4. 
■ ••••• • 
15*24 
5. 
• •••••• 
18*30 
6. 
In cakes of farinaceous matter") 
5*00 
13*41 
7. 
washed over with scammony ) 
• •••••• 
8. 
• •••••• 
11*23 
No. 6 was a sample of evidently fictitious scammony, and a dog ate with 
evident gusto, and without any after ill consequences, the balance of the cake 
after analysis. 
Analysis of Eight Samples of Powdered Scammony. 
Percentage of resin 
soluble in ether. 
No. 1. Called “ Aleppo ” . . . 54*21 
2. „ “ Virgin . . . . 72*36 
3. „ “ Aleppo ” ... 37*29 
