AmjJa0nUyi8P94arm-}  Note  on  Resin  of  Podophyllum,  U.  S.  P.  1 1 
Amer.  Pharm.  Assoc.,  1859,  p.  334),  the  resin  prepared  from  rhizome 
collected  in  the  spring,  52  per  cent,  was  soluble  in  ether  andNof  that 
prepared  from  autumn  collection  96  per  cent.  Wm.  G.  Parrish 
(Amer.  Journ.  of  Pharm.,  i860,  p.  208)  reported  85  percent.  C. 
Bullock  (Amer.  Journ.  of  Pharm.,  1862,  p.  144)  states  that  sample 
of  resin  prepared  by  Merrill  &  Co.,  63  per  cent,  was  soluble  in 
ether.  F.  B.  Power  (Amer.  Journ.  of  Pharm.,  1874,  p.  227)  reports 
for  his  own  make  92  per  cent,  soluble  in  ether,  purchased  samples 
59  to  86  per  cent.  The  same  author,  in  a  later  paper  (Proceedings 
Amer.  Pharm.  Assoc.,  1877,  p.  432),  writes,  "  Of  the  purified  officinal 
resin,  82  per  cent,  was  found  to  be  soluble  in  ether  of  spec.  grav. 
0720,  at  22°  C."  My  own  sample  exhibits  82  per  cent.  While 
the  figures  above  quoted  show  considerable  variation,  they  prove, 
without  doubt,  that  properly  prepared  resin*  of  podophyllum  yields 
to  ether  about  80  per  cent.,  and  not  15  or  20  per  cent.,  as  stated 
by  the  Pharmacopoeia. 
Regarding  its  solubility  in  water,  Professor  J.  M.  Maisch  writes, 
(Amer.  Journ.  of  Pharmacy,  1874,  p.  231),  "  A  comparatively  small 
amount  of  the  officinal  resin  appeared  to  be  insoluble  in  hot  water,  but 
its  percentage  was  not  ascertained."  This  statement  is  not  in 
accordance  with  my  observations.  Cadbury  (loc.  cit.)  states,  "  Water 
alone,  either  hot  or  cold,  did  not  dissolve  any,  nor  do  the  dilute 
acids,  nor  oil  of  turpentine  hold  it  in  solution."  Dr.  H.  Pursell,in  a 
paper  before  the  Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical  Association,  in  1 88 1 
(Amer.  Journ.  of  Pharm.,  1881,  p.  377),  says,  "  On  heating  the  resin 
with  3  parts  of  water  at  1500  F.  4  per  cent,  of  extract,  soluble  in 
water,  was  obtained." 
On  the  other  hand,  F.  B.  Power  (Proceed.  Amer.  Pharm.  Assoc., 
l%77f  P-  431)  aims  to  confirm  the  statement  of  Maisch,  and  writes 
as  follows :  "  To  ascertain  the  extent  of  the  solubility  of  the  resin  in 
boiling  water,  one  gram  of  the  resin  was  placed  in  a  flask  with  dis- 
tilled water  upon  the  water-bath  :  the  resin  soon  softens  to  a  brown- 
ish mass,  while  the  water  assumes  a  bright  amber  color,  perfectly 
transparent  while  hot,  but  becoming  turbid  upon  cooling  and  grad- 
ually depositing  portions  of  flocculent  yellowish  resin;  the  water  was 
thus  successively  decanted  and  renewed  with  fresh  portions,  the 
operation  being  continued  for  many  days,  until  the  water  became  no 
longer  appreciably  colored.  The  writer  succeeded  in  dissolving  80 
per  cent,  of  the  purified  resin  by  this  treatment,  the  undissolved  por- 
