430 
ON  THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  SCAMMONY  RESIN. 
leather,  paper  and  artificial  musk  are  frequently  added  to,  or  sub- 
stituted for  a  part  of  the  contents  of  the  pouches.  Sutures  and 
Other  occlusions  appear  after  moistening  the  pouches  by  wrapping 
them  in  wet  blotting  paper. 
Artificial  pouches — Wampo-musk — never  show  the  proper  ana- 
tomical conditions:  the  genital  opening,  penis,  etc.  are  wanting, 
and  the  heterogenous  composing  parts  are  readily  discernible. — 
Zeitselir,  d.  G-esellsch.  d.  Aerzte  zu  Wien. 
ON  THE  CONSTITUTION  OF  SCAMMONY  RESIN. 
By  H.  Spirgatis. 
After  referring  to  the  investigations  of  Johnston  (Philos. 
Trans.  1839,  ii.  342),  his  own  (see  Am.  Journ.  Ph.  xxvi.  446,) 
and  Keller's  (Am.  Journ.  Ph.  xxx.  256),  the  author  describes  the 
three  samples  of  scammony,  from  which  he  obtained  the  resin 
for  his  researches  ;  they  yielded  71,  65  and  73  per  cent,  of  pure 
resin,  which  was  prepared  by  diluting  the  alcoholic  tincture  with 
water,  treating  with  animal  charcoal,  and  distilling  ofi*  the  alco- 
hol ;  the  residue  is  then  treated  for  several  weeks  with  hot  water, 
which  removes  an  odorous  volatile  acid  and  an  inodorous  com- 
pound of  the  same. 
Thus  prepared,  the  resin  is  amorphous,  colorless  and  trans- 
parent, and  yields  a  white  powder.  If  containing  water,  it  re. 
mains  soft  below  100^  C.  ;  dried  at  this  temperature,  it  softens 
at  about  123^,  fuses  near  150^  C.  (302°  F.)  to  a  clear  colorless 
liquid,  and  decomposes  at  a  higher  heat.  It  dissolves  in  alcohol 
in  all  proportions,  and  is  reprecipitated  in  flocks  by  water.  It 
is  likewise  soluble  in  ether,  benzole,  chloroform,  and  more  diffi- 
cult in  petroleum  and  oil  of  turpentine.  The  solutions  in  potas- 
sa,  soda,  ammonia  and  baryta  yield  no  precipitate  ;  impure 
resin  yields  with  these  bases  a  yellow  solution,  turning  deep 
reddish  yellow,  and  separating  greenish  grey  floccules  on  heat- 
ing. The  resin  dissolves  also  in  boiling  alkaline  carbonates, 
and  in  acetic  acid ;  the  solution  in  sulphuric  acid  is  of  an  ama- 
ranthine red,  turning  brown  and  black,  splitting  the  compound 
which  is  likewise  occasioned  by  hydrochloric  and  nitric  acids. 
The  alcoholic  tincture  is  not  afi'ected  by  little  nitric  acid, 
