AMseJpDiR;iP87rM'}      Scammony  and  its  Adulteration.  423 
This  was  printed  and  published  forty  years  ago,  yet  not  so  far  back 
but  that  some  may  remember  having  seen  it.  Whatever  may  have 
been  the  case  then,  I  do  not  believe  for  one  moment  that  any  such 
system  is  now  followed — unless  it  be  in  an  article  I  have  before  me, 
■and  obtained  recently,  yclept  skillet,  valued  at  13s  per  lb.,  and  so 
named,  I  infer,  from  the  pot  in  which  it  was  melted  and  mixed 
together.    Of  the  use  to  which  this  is  put  I  am  quite  ignorant. 
I  have  never  yet  found  common  resin,  guaiacum  or  jalap  resin  in 
scammony  ;  at  the  present  time  obviously,  jalap  resin  would  not  be 
used,  as  it  is  dearer  than  scammony  resin.  Common  resin  and 
guaiacum  are  readily  found  if  present.  That  there  are  several 
qualities  of  scammony  or  scammonium  of  the  B.  P.  in  the  market, 
and  I  presume  in  use,  there  can  be  no  question.  I  have  before  me  five 
wholesale  price  lists,  wherein  I  see  Aleppo  scammony  quoted  from 
18s.  to  38s.  per  lb.,  and  virgin  scammony  from  34s.  to  40s.  and  44s.  per 
lb.  This  variation  may  be  readily  understood,  as  one  buyer  may 
purchase  under  more  favorable  circumstances,  or  such  an  article  may 
vary  in  quality  without  fault  of  any  one,  and  thus  fetch  a  less  price. 
In  one  instance  out  of  the  five  lists,  scammonium  B.  P.  is  quoted  at 
-60s.  per  lb.  ;  this  must  be  something  exceptional.  Resin  of  scam- 
mony does  not  vary  much  in  price,  being  quoted  from  13s.  to  16s. 
per  lb.  I  have  some  which  cost  me  30s.,  but  the  manufacturers  of 
this  article  will,  I  believe,  discontinue  making  it,  as  it  possesses 
intrinsically  no  advantage  over  the  cheaper  ;  the  difference  in  the 
cost,  I  am  led  to  think,  arises  from  the  employment  of  pure  spirit 
in  one  case,  and  methylated  in  the  other,  and  though  the  spirit 
would  be  recovered,  there  must  be  some  lost.  These  resins  may  be 
readily  examined  by  burning,  and  I  found  the  quantity  of  residue 
precisely  similar  in  both,  amounting  to  less  than  five  per  cent,  of  ash. 
I  would  now  venture  to  suggest  where,  perhaps,  the  framers  of 
the  Pharmacopoeia  compounds  in  which  scammony  is  employed  seem 
to  have  acted  inconsistently.  In  the  London  Pharmacopoeias,  before 
the  publication  of  the  B.  P.,  virgin  scammony  was  invariably  ordered. 
In  1864,  a  permission  or  discretion  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the 
compounder,  in  making  extract,  colocynth.  co.,  to  use  either  scam- 
mony or  resin  of  scammony  ;  in  1867,  B.  P.,  resin  of  scammony 
alone  is  ordered,  leaving  no  option,  whilst  in  pilul.  colocynth.  comp., 
of  both  books,  scammony,  meaning  virgin  scammony,  is  required. 
It  may  be  worth  while  to  inquire  why  this  apparent  confliction  ;  that 
