June 15, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
1007 
very resistant, fracture irregular and dull, only burns 
with a little ilame when close to the lamp, and dies 
out when removed. Resin 40 per cent. Residue, 
starch, carbonates and silica. 
4. Ismid.—Scammony of a yellowish-brown colour, 
blanches with the saliva, is very little friable, semi¬ 
transparent in thin sheets, burns without flame at the 
candle, and gives off an odour like burnt potato. Resin 
39"82. The large proportion of residue shows abun¬ 
dance of starch, extractive matters, carbonates and 
silica. 
5. Smyrna.—Scammony in irregular fragments, 
of a deep brown, very friable, irregular fracture, 
presenting cavities here and there, whitens very 
little with the saliva, burns with a flame at the 
light, but goes out on removal from it. Resin 61. 
Residue, starch, carbonates and silica. 
6. Sivas-Amassiali.—This scammony arrived in 
the form of a great oval cake 18 centimetres long by 
12 broad and 4 or 5 thick. The mass was compact, 
had a conclioidal fracture, purple-brown throughout, 
did not blanch with the saliva. The splinters had 
a dull yellow semi-transparent colour. Burns with 
flame and bubbles or spits at the light, soon extin¬ 
guishes when removed, giving off from the ash a 
disagreeable odour. Resin 72. Residue, starch, 
carbonates, oxide of iron and silica. 
7. Koniali, Gulnar.—Scammony in irregular frag¬ 
ments, some of a greyish brown, others of a dull 
grey, porous fracture, does not whiten with the 
saliva, burns at the light without flame, and speedily 
goes out with a disagreeable odour. Resin 55. 
Residue, starch, carbonates and silica. 
8. Broussa.—Scammony in fragments of an ashy 
grey colour, a dull fracture, burning at the light 
without flame, blanching very little with the saliva. 
Resin 51. Residue, starch, carbonates in abundance, 
with a little silica. 
9. Broussa, Yecaditz.—This scammony was re¬ 
ceived in the milky state, enclosed in a tin box well 
soldered; on opening, in consequence of excessive 
fermentation, it burst out in all directions. The 
juice was of a yellowish white, but darkened on 
oxidizing in contact with the air. Dried in a stove, 
it settled into irregular fragments of a bluish-black 
colour, with a brilliant fracture, very friable, blanched 
with the saliva, without having any bitter taste, 
burnt with flame and sputtering, but without odour. 
Resin 76 per cent. Residue, starch, vegetable de¬ 
tritus and carbonates. 
10. Kutahiali.—Scammony in very irregular frag¬ 
ments of a deep grey colour, fracture dull and porous, 
whitens with the saliva, pretty friable when the 
piece was not too large, burns at the flame, and 
gives out a disagreeable odour, Resin 47"80. Resi¬ 
due, starch and silica. 
11. Aleppo.—Scammony in irregular fragments, 
dull and porous fracture, of an ashy grey colour, 
blanches with the saliva, burns without flame and 
without any pronounced odour. Resin 66. Residue, 
starch and silica. 
12. Angora.—This scammony was received in a 
small cup, in a very compact mass, which only 
yielded thin scales to the efforts of the lmife, of a 
clear brown, whitening with the saliva, and burning 
at the light with flame. Resin 86. Residue, vegetable 
detritus, carbonates and silica, and traces of starch. 
13. Angora.—Scammony in irregular fragments, 
of a clear brown, clean fracture, very friable, blanches 
with the saliva, burns at the light with flame and 
spitting, continuing illumined when removed from 
the light, and giving off a disagreeable odour. Resin 
46-87 per cent. Residue, starch, carbonates and 
silica. 
14. Gueive.—Scammony in irregular fragments,, 
grey at the surface, black speckled with grey in the 
interior, very friable, bleaches with the saliva, burns- 
at the light with flame and sputtering, but dies out 
when removed from the light. Resin 48'36. Residue,, 
starch and silica. 
15. Mount Lebanon.—This scammony was re¬ 
ceived in the shape of a round compact cake, of 
about 15 centimetres diameter by 3 thick; whitens 
with the saliva, burns without flame at the lamp, 
giving off a disagreeable odour. Resin 74'60. Re¬ 
sidue, vegetable debris and carbonates, but no trace 
of starch. 
16. Koniali-Antalia.—Scammony in irregular frag¬ 
ments of a deep grey colour, porous fracture, does not 
whiten with the saliva, burns without flame at the 
light, giving off a disagreeable odour. Resin 54. 
Residue, starch, carbonates and silica. 
17. Skilip.—Scammony in irregular fragments, of 
an ash-grey at the exterior, and a dull brown at the 
interior, tolerably friable, does not whiten with the 
saliva, nor burn at the candle. Resin 36-14. Resi¬ 
due, starch and silica. 
18. Houdavendiguiar.—Scammony in mussel-shell, 
known as “ premiere goutte.” Colour at the surface 
bluisli-black, brown in the interior; it burns without 
odour or flame at the light, bleaches with the saliva. 
This scammony presents the same characters and 
properties as that described under No. 9, and when 
we find that they come from the same district, we 
may conclude that it is the same product sent in 
different forms. Resin 71. Residue, vegetable de¬ 
tritus, starch and carbonates. 
I now have to speak of the composition of a few 
of the roots submitted to examination. 
Bagdad-Himalaya.—Root of a yellowish-white, cf 
the thickness of the wrist, very light, and presenting 
in some places considerable protuberances; bark ru¬ 
gose, and largely furrowed, detached easily in thin 
sheets superposed. The interior, which differs little 
from the exterior except in colour, presents ligneous 
fibres, separated by the destruction of the cellulose. 
This root appeared to be destroyed by larva, and 
dead at the foot; 100 grams pounded and treated 
with alcohol, gave no result. 
Koniali.—This root was soft, of the thickness of 
the finger, of a madder-root colour, yellow and porous 
in the interior; 50 grams pounded and treated 
with alcohol gave a liquor which, on evaporation, 
yielded a residue composed almost entirely of ex¬ 
tractive matters, agreeable to the taste, purgative in 
a dose of 1 to 14 gram, but so liygrometric that, 
left in the dry state exposed to the air, it liquefied in 
a few hours. The only root met with of this kind. 
Smyrna.—This root was long, straight, and of the- 
thickness of the thumb, of a light grey at the ex¬ 
terior, and yellowish within, and presenting in the 
parts severed all the pores blocked up with resin, 
the portion taken being the centre, excluding the 
extremities; 62 grams pounded and treated with 
alcohol deposited, on evaporation, 7 grams 22 cen¬ 
tigrams of a dry product composed of gum-resin, 
and extractive matters, which, left exposed to the- 
air, continued in the dry state. This resinous ex¬ 
tract was found to be a good and mild purgative in 
the dose of 1 to grams. Resin 1BG4 per cent. 
