136 
PHARMACEUTICAL  NOTICES. 
The  name  recommended,  and,  it  is  believed,  adopted  in  the 
new  Pharmacopoeia  for  this  remedy,  is  that  indicated  in  the  title 
of  this  essay,  Resina  Podophylli ;  it  is  to  be  hoped  we  shall  ad- 
here to  this  in  preference  to  the  misnomer  Podophvllin,  which, 
despite  its  belonging  exclusively  to  the  pure  crystalline  principle 
of  the  root,  has  obtained  general  acceptance  in  commercial  and 
even  in  professional  circles,  as  applied  to  the  amorphous  resin- 
ous product.  Looking  to  a  clearer  and  more  discriminating  no- 
menclature, let  us  also  cease  to  apply  to  it  and  its  congeners  the 
term  resinoid.  If  they  are  not  resins,  to  what  shall  we  apply 
that  term  ? 
PHARMACEUTICAL  NOTICES. 
By  William  Procter,  Jr. 
Syrup  and  Fluid  Extract  of  SeneJca.—M&ny  have  observed 
that  syrup  of  seneka,  which  whilst  hot  is  perfectly  transparent, 
will  frequently,  on  cooling,  be  cloudy  without  precipitating  any 
separated  substance.  The  consistence  is  often  much  thicker 
and  less  mobile  from  this  cause,  which  is  due  to  the  presence  of 
pectin  or  pectic  acid.  The  transparency  of  such  cloudy  syrup  of 
seneka  may  be  restored  by  the  addition  of  a  small  quantity  of 
bicarbonate  of  potassa,  with  heat ;  about  four  grains  to  the  fluid 
ounce  will  usually  be  sufficient.  A  drachm  of  bicarbonate  is 
put  in  a  mortar  with  a  few  drops  of  water,  say  a  fluidrachm, 
and  triturated  till  the  crystals  are  entirely  broken  down  ;  then 
gradually  add  a  pint  of  the  syrup  of  seneka  and  mix  them. 
Without  heat  the  reaction  is  too  slow  ;  the  syrup  is  therefore 
poured  into  a  capsule  and  heated  until  effervescence  ceases.  This 
may  conveniently  be  effected  without  loss  from  evaporation,  by 
heating  the  syrup,  contained  in  a  bottle  which  it  half  fills  in  water- 
bath,  with  occasional  agitation  of  the  syrup  until  effervescence 
ceases.  It  is  then  allowed  to  cool.  If  a  large  quantity  is  acted 
upon  in  an  open  vessel,  care  should  be  taken  to  avoid  loss  by  eva- 
poration, which  will  tend  to  cause  crystallization  of  the  syrup  if 
not  corrected  by  adding  the  lost  moisture. 
Fluid  Extract  of  Seneka. — That  which  in  the  syrup  produces 
only  thickening  and  loss  of  transparence,  occasions  sometimes 
complete  gelatinization  in  the  more  concentrated  fluid  extract, 
