AmMay,ri8^o arm' }  Resin  o f  Podopkyllu  m  and  Podophyllin .  243 
firmly  identified  as  an  Eclectic  remedy  long  before  the  Regular1 
section  recognized  its  value.  In  connection  with  this  phase  of  the 
subject  we  find  that  the  United  States  Dispensatory,  preceding  its 
tenth  (1854)  edition  referred  only  to  the  analysis  of  Mr.  Lewis.  In 
that  edition  mention  is  also  made  of  the  notice  Mr.  Manlius  Smith 
gave  the  resin  in  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1852.  In 
the  eleventh  edition  (1858)  the  first  reference  is  made  to  its  then 
common  name  in  commerce,  as  follows  :  "  It  is  called  podophyllin" 
but  it  was  not  commended  as  a  therapeutical  agent.  In  the  twelfth 
edition  (1865),  the  resin  having  become  officinal  in  i860,  a  creditable 
notice  is  given  the  substance.  In  contradistinction,  the  first  edition 
of  the  Eclectic  Dispensatory,  King  and  Newton,  1852,  devotes  seven 
pages  to  this  drug. 
In  an  early  publication2  Prof.  King  stated  that  "  My  introduction 
to  its  therapeutical  action  having  been  of  a  serious  character,"  at  the 
solicitation  of  the  writer  contributed  the  following  interesting  com- 
munication connected  with  the  discovery  and  introduction  of  this 
important  drug : 
Cincinnati,  June  14.,  188 J. 
Prof.  John  U.  Lloyd, 
Dear  Sir : 
In  answer  to  your  request,  I  will  state  that  my  discovery  of  podo- 
phyllin was  by  no  means  a  pleasing  incident,  and  I  will  relate  it  to 
you  as  briefly  as  possible.  In  the  fall  of  1835,  desiring  to  make  a 
hydroalcoholic  extract  of  mandrake  root  (with  the  aid  of  potassa 
during  evaporation),  the  tincture  of  the  root,  and  its  subsequently 
made  infusion,  were  mixed  together.  In  order  to  save  as  much  of 
the  alcohol  as  possible,  this  mixture  was  placed  in  a  distilling  appa- 
ratus, and  when  about  one-third  of  the  alcohol  had  been  collected, 
by  the  distillation,  the  operation  was  discontinued  on  account  of 
approaching  night.  Upon  opening  the  kettle  the  next  morning, 
and  stirring  up  the  now  cold  mixture,  previous  to  a  reapplication  of 
heat  and  continuation  of  the  distillation,  a  peculiar  substance  was 
found  deposited  in  it,  which  I  at  first  thought  from  its  appearance 
was  some  foreign  material  that  had  found  its  way  into  the  liquid 
1  I  use  this  term  as  applied  to  the  dominant  section  of  American  Physicians, 
because  their  members  seem  as  a  rule  to  prefer  it  to  Allopathic.  The  term 
"  Irregular  "  I  do  not  consider  opprobrious  as  applied  to  those  of  the  minority. 
2  The  College  Journal  of  Medical  Science,  Cincinnati,  1857,  p.  557. 
