102  Active  Constituents  of  Podophyllin.        { "^"S'lgsJ™' 
ON  THE  ACTIVE  CONSTITUENTS  OF  PODOPHYLLIN. 
By  Dr.  Valerian  Podwissotzki. 
Abstract  from  the  "Pliarm.  Zeitschrift  fiir  Russland,"  Nos.  44-50,  1881,  by  Fred.  B.  Power, 
The  experiments  of  the  author  on  the  interesting  subject  of  the 
constituents  of  podophyllin,  which  have  been  extended  over  a  con- 
siderable period,  having  now  been  concluded,  that  portion  of  the 
investigation  bearing  more  particularly  upon  the  isolation  and  descrip- 
tion of  principles  of  pharmaceutical  or  chemical  importance  and 
interest  may  be  concisely  summarized  while  the  pharmacognostical 
description  of  the  drug  or  the  history  of  its  introduction  and  applica- 
tion in  pharmacy  and  medicine,  to  which  in  connection  with  numerous 
physiological  experiments  the  author  has  devoted  a  large  share  of 
attention,  may  be  considered  so  well  known  in  this  country  as  to 
require  no  further  recapitulation. 
According  to  the  author  the  active  constituent  of  podophyllum,  and 
of  podophyllin,  is  a  resinous  substance,  consisting  of  a  resinous  acid^ 
which  is  without  action  on  the  animal  organism,  and  an  active  neutral 
body,  which  latter,  when  freed  from  the  first  mentioned  acid,  can  be 
obtained  in  a  crystalline  form.  In  combination  with  the  acid  it  dis- 
solves readily  in  dilute  alcohol,  but  with  difficulty  in  hot  water ;  when 
freed  from  the  acid,  the  neutral  body  crystallizes  immediately  in  the 
presence  of  water,  dissolves  in  ether,  chloroform,  and  strong  alcohol,, 
and  on  the  addition  of  hot  water  to  the  latter  solution  crystallizes  out 
immediately.  This  body  possesses  exclusively  the  active  properties  of 
podophyllum  and  podophyllin,  so  that  the  above  mentioned  resinous 
matter  only  acts  upon  the  animal  organism  when  it  contains  this  crys- 
talline body ;  the  acid  alone  is  absolutely  without  action. 
The  author  disproves  the  previously  advanced  view  of  Buchheim 
that  the  active  constituent  of  podophyllin  is  an  easily  altered  anhy- 
dride by  the  fact  that  the  newly  discovered  crystallizable  substance 
melts  at  200  to  210°C.,  is  not  decomposed  at  200°C.,  and  only  begins  to 
blacken  at  260  to  275° C.  It  also  bears  very  energetic  treatment  with 
alkalies  without  decomposition,  as  is  shown  by  the  description  of  the 
method  for  obtaining  it.  This  circumstance  complicated  the  former 
experiments  considerably,  as  the  neutral  body,  after  the  separation 
of  the  resinous  acid,  did  not  dissolve  in  aqueous  liquids  but  remained 
suspended  in  microscopic  form,  while  the  acid  is  rather  readily 
soluble  in  aqueous  liquids.    Former  investigators  avoided  the  employ- 
