^mD.ec.?if9hoarm'}  Resin  of  Podophyllum  and  Podophyllin.  605 
RFSIN  OF  PODOPHYLLUM  AND  PODOPHYLLIN. 
By  J.  U.  Lloyd,  Cincinnati. 
(  Continued  from  page  j88.) 
Dtscussion  over  the  name  Podophyllin. — Prof.  King  was  numbered 
among  those  who  advocated  the  designation  "Resin  of  Podophyllum," 
which  was  the  name  he  first  gave  it  and  employed  in  its  introduc- 
tion.1 Although  he  finally  acquiesced  and  accepted  the  popular 
name  "  podophyllin,"  making  that  expression  the  prominent  name  in 
the  first  edition  of  his  Dispensatory  (1852),  he  supplemented  it  by 
calling  the  drug  "  a  resin  to  which  the  name  of  podophyllin  has 
been  given."  From  1840  to  1855  considerable  controversy,  accom- 
panied by  some  acridity,  was  exhibited  in  the  eclectic  ranks  in  con- 
nection with  the  subject  of  "  resinoids  "  and  their  names,  as  shown 
in  the  current  pages  of  the  Worcester  Journal  of  Medicine  (Wor- 
cester, Mass.),  the  Western  Medical  Reformer  (Worthington,  O.), 
the  College  Journal  (Cincinnati,  O.),  and  the  Eclectic  Medical  Jour- 
nal (Cincinnati,  O.),  but  this  controversy  is  probably  not  familiar  to 
persons  unacquainted  with  the  actors  and  the  early  eclectic  literature 
connected  with  the  subject.  The  late  Mr.  Wm.  S.  Merrell,  of  Cin- 
cinnati, who  first  used  the  term  podophyllin,  ably  defended  that 
name.  In  reply  to  critics  he  called  attention2  to  the  fact  that  the 
names  for  jalapin  and  several  other  similar  bodies,  which  were  not  defi- 
nite chemical  compounds,  were  named  after  that  plan,  and  he  finally 
informed  his  antagonists  that  he  had  actually  accepted  the  name  (to 
use  his  words)  suggested  by  l<Prof.  Wood,  the  author  of  the  United 
States  Dispensatory,  who  is  no  mean  authority."  Mr.  Merrell  then 
continued  his  argument  by  saying  that  "the  names  of  the  resinous 
principles  or  resinoids,  should  be  made  to  terminate  in  in,  after  the 
analogy  of  the  generic  substance  resin  or  rosin,  and  accordingly  we 
should  write  Podophyllin,  Macrolin,  Jalapin,  etc."  The  method  was 
accepted  by  Hill  (Cincinnati)  and  Kieth  (New  York),  the  other 
makers  of  eclectic  remedies  at  that  period,  and  each  placed  a  limited 
line  of  "  resinoids  "  upon  the  market.  They  accepted  without  ques- 
tion the  nomenclature  that  Mr.  Merrell  had  established,  although,  in 
eclectic  literature,  some  very  acrimonious  discussions  appeared  con- 
1  Western  Medical  Reformer,  April,  1846. 
2  Eclectic  Medical  Journal,  July,  1850,  p.  299. 
