ON  THE  LEAVES  OF  PODOPHYLLUM  PBLTATUM.  201 
cylindrical  percolator  and  exhausted  with  that  menstruum.  The 
resulting  tincture  was  of  a  dark  olive  color  and  slight  bitter 
taste. 
This  was  evaporated  in  a  water  bath  to  the  consistence  of  thin 
syrup,  and  while  hot  thrown  upon  six  times  its  measure  of  cold 
water,  being  stirred  during  the  process  until  the  liquids  were 
thoroughly  mixed. 
A  quantity  of  resin  was  thus  separated  which  was  of  a  drab 
color  and  decided  bitter  taste,  but  which  was  very  difficult  to 
remove  from  the  mixture. 
After  standing  for  twenty-four  hours,  only  a  small  quantity 
of  resin  was  obtained,  although  filtered  first  through  cotton 
flannel,  and  then  through  paper,  the  greater  portion  remaining 
suspended  in  the  water,  from  which  it  could  not  be  separated, 
even  by  repeated  filtration.  The  "  American  Journal  of  Pharm- 
acyj"  (Vol.  XXXV,  page  303,)  contains  an  article  by  Professor 
John  M.  Maish,  in  which  it  is  stated  that  in  the  process  for 
obtaining  the  officinal  K-esina  Podophylli,  the  deposition  of  the 
resin  from  the  aqueous  mixture  is  greatly  facilitated  by  the 
addition  of  muriatic  acid,  the  result  being  mainly  attributable  to 
the  formation  of  the  insoluble  muriate  of  berberina,  which  alka- 
loid is  contained  in  the  precipitated  resin. 
The  mixture  containing  the  suspended  resin  was  therefore 
acidulated  with  muriatic  acid  and  the  resin  immediately  sepa- 
rated, leaving  the  liquid  transparent,  and  of  a  bright  yellow  color. 
By  repeated  washing  with  cold  water  the  bitterness  was  entirely 
removed  from  the  resin,  which  was  very  much  darkened  during 
the  process,  being  almost  black  when  thoroughly  washed. 
To  ascertain  whether  this  resin  was  similar  to  podophyllin, 
it  was  subjected  to  the  several  tests  for  that  substance,  and  was 
found  to  agree  with  it  in  every  particular. 
It  consisted  of  two  resins,  one  soluble  in  ether  and  alcohol, 
the  other  in  alcohol,  and  both  in  caustic  alkalies  and  chloroform. 
When  the  ethereal  resin  was  dissolved  in  caustic  alkali  it  was 
precipitated  by  acids,  but  in  an  alkaline  solution  of  the  alcoholic 
resin  no  change  was  produced  by  the  addition  of  acids. 
Much  the  largest  portion  was  dissolved  by  ether,  and  the 
residue,  which  was  nearly  destitute  of  taste,  soon  became  hard, 
