486 
LECTURES ON THE BRITISH PHARMACOPOEIA. 
extending from New England to Georgia. The plant may be also commonly 
seen in the botanic gardens of this and some other countries of Europe. 
Podophyllum root or rhizome occurs in pieces of variable length, and from 
two to four lines thick, averaging about that of a common goose-quill. At in¬ 
tervals, when not too much broken up, it presents large, irregular, more or less 
flattened tuberosities, from the lower surface of which brownish-coloured root¬ 
lets arise, or, when these are detached, their former position is marked by 
whitish, more or less projecting scars. The pieces are either nearly smooth or 
much wrinkled longitudinally; of a reddish- blackish- or yellowish-brown colour 
externally, and internally, whitish or yellowish. They break with a short close 
fracture; have a sweetish and frequently somewhat narcotic odour ; and a 
nauseous, slightly acrid, bitter, and feebly narcotic taste. 
Podophyllum has been frequently analysed, and with somewhat conflicting 
results. The most important constituents, however, are two resinous principles, 
one of which, according to Lewis, is soluble in alcohol and insoluble in ether, 
and the other, constituting four-fifths of the whole, is soluble in both alcohol 
and ether. There is some difference of opinion in North America as to the re¬ 
lative medicinal activity of these two resins, for while Lewis found both to 
possess purgative properties, the experiments of Mr. Harvey Allen led him to 
regard the resin which was soluble in both alcohol and ether as alone possessed 
of any active purgative properties. In the British Pharmacopoeia the resin ob¬ 
tained from Podophyllum by means of rectified spirit is officinal; hence, if the 
presence of two resinous principles be confirmed of different degrees of activity, 
our Pharmacopoeia preparation will contain them both, as they are both soluble 
in alcohol. Podophyllum resin is described in the British Pharmacopoeia to be 
u almost entirely soluble in pure ether,” but we do not find the officinal resin as 
soluble as there stated. Besides these resinous principles, the alkaloid berbe- 
rine , together with saponin , and another alkaloid, have been recently disco¬ 
vered by Mayer in Podophyllum.'*' 
In America, podophyllum rhizome and its preparations, and more especially 
that of the resin under the name of podophyllin , have long established their re¬ 
putation as active and certain cathartics. Podophyllin has also been very exten¬ 
sively employed for some years in this country and in other parts of the world, 
and is now, by almost universal testimony, regarded as a most valuable cathar¬ 
tic and cholagogue. In many cases it is applicable with perfect safety where 
mercury has been hitherto indicated and alone used. The griping effects which 
are frequently experienced by its use may be readily prevented by combining 
it with small doses of extract of henbane. The dose of podophyllum resin 
of the British Pharmacopoeia is fromY quarter to half a grain , or even, in some 
cases, a grain. There can be no doubt but that Podophyllum is a very valuable 
addition to our British Pharmacopoeia; indeed, we have no hesitation in stating 
that it is by far the most important new remedial agent introduced into that 
volume. 
QuiNiiE Sulphas. —This very valuable remedial agent is now termed Sul¬ 
phate of Quinia instead of Disulphate of Quina as in the last London Pharma¬ 
copoeia. In the Materia Medica it is stated to be the sulphate of an alkaloid 
prepared from Yellow Cinchona Bark, and the bark of Cinchona lancifolia , Mutis; 
hence we should have naturally concluded that the authors of the Pharmacopoeia 
intended it to be prepared from both these barks, but upon referring to the Pre¬ 
parations in another part of the volume, we find only Yellow Cinchona Bark or¬ 
dered, and as under that name in the Materia Medica, only one kind of bark is 
alluded to, namely, that derived from the Cinchona Calls ay a, Weddell, we pre¬ 
sume that the authors of the Pharmacopoeia intended it to be alone employed in 
* Pharm. Jonrn. vol. iv. 2nd ser. p. 517. 
