RESINA JALAP^E, P.B. 
563 
The Photographic Journal. 
The Medical Circular. 
The Dental Review. 
The British Journal of Dental Science. 
The Journal of the Chemical Society. 
The Educational Times. 
The Veterinarian. 
The Journal of the Society of Arts. 
Hardwicke 1 s Science Gossip. From the respective Publishers. 
Rust, Smut , Mildew, and Mould. An Introduction to the Study of Microscopic 
Fungi. By M. C. Cooke. From the Author. 
Sample of Indian Hemp. From Dr. Leared. 
Mr. D. Hanburv exhibited specimens of Moringa aptera from Engedi, Palestine, 
and of Moringa pterygosperma from Panama, and remarked that Oil of Ben might be 
obtained by expression from the seeds of either plant. 
The following papers were read :— 
EESINA JALAPiE, P.B. 
BY MR. A. F. HASELDEN. 
Whilst preparing some resin of jalap according to the process set down in the 
British Pharmacopoeia, several points occurred to me as seemingly worthy of 
consideration and inquiry. The mode of operating in the P. B. is exhaustion of 
the root by rectified spirit, the addition of a small quantity of water, the recovery 
of nearly all the spirit by distillation, the separation of the resin from the resi¬ 
dual liquor, subsequent washing with hot water, and drying the resin with a 
gentle heat until it becomes brittle, breaking with a resinous fracture; and so 
far the process is all that is necessary in order to obtain the resin as described in 
the Pharmacopoeia. The process might, however, have been carried further, and 
the brown resin thus obtained rendered colourless by digestion with animal 
charcoal, and thus have represented pure resin, or the jalapine of commerce. 
But I am far from certain that, therapeutically, the resin would have been 
improved. I think it quite possible that the animal charcoal does remove some 
of the acrid principle upon which the activity of jalap, as a cathartic, depends ; 
and I am led to entertain this opinion from the fact that I have heard that 
jalapine does not act proportionately as well as good powdered jalap-root. 
Now, amongst other things concerning jalap, Dr. Christison has stated that 
worm-eaten jalap is the best for the preparation of the resin. The late Dr. 
Pereira apparently entertained the same opinion, for, in his writings, he says 
jalap-root is apt to become worm-eaten, the insects attacking the amylaceous 
portion, leaving the resin; hence worm-eaten jalap is to be preferred for the 
preparation of the resin. On the other hand, Duncan, Thornton, and Brande 
say that worm-eaten jalap should be rejected. I may probably be thought 
presuming when I state that I cannot entirely coincide with either side. Looking 
at the manner in which the resin is deposited in the roots, in irregular concen¬ 
tric rings, and sometimes seemingly pervading the whole mass, I could not 
conceive that these worms or insects could remove the amylaceous or extractive 
portion, and leave the resinous part untouched. I, therefore, proceeded to 
extract the resins from two portions of jalap-root, the one worm-eaten, the other 
sound, as far as I could judge of the same quality in other respects—samples of 
them being upon the table—the worm-eaten gave me one ounce of resin from 
eight ounces or 12’5 per cent., and afterwards, by boiling with water, one ounce 
of soft aqueous extract; the sound jalap yielded from the same quantity one 
