ADecfmberPi9i5D' }  Concerning  Tzvo  Szveet-tasting  Drugs.  557 
logical  also  to  look  for  saponins  in  it.  According  to  its  chemical 
formula,  C44H64O10,  however,  it  cannot  and  does  not  belong  within 
the  range  of  our  general  formula.  Nevertheless,  it  possesses  well- 
defined  physical  and  physiological  properties  identical  with  saponins 
— frothing  in  water,  capability  of  holding  insoluble  matter  in  sus- 
pension, power  to  retard  CO'2  gas  from  escaping  from  carbonated 
beverages,  etc.,  facilitating  moistening  of  substances  which  ordi- 
narily are  given  to  repel  water,  stimulating  of  mucous  membranes, 
and  the  dialyzing  of  its  aqueous  solution,  etc. 
Since,  according  to  good  authority,  there  is  as  yet  no  reliable 
chemical  test  known  by  which  glycyrrhizin  may  be  distinguished 
from  saponins,  biological  testing,  the  means  by  which  saponins  are 
unmistakably  distinguished  from  other  plant  principles,  had  to  be  re- 
sorted to.  By  this  means  glycyrrhizin  revealed  itself  as  not  being  a  true 
saponin,  since  it  is  absolutely  devoid  of  any  hemolytic  action  on  blood. 
Some  true  saponins  are  not  hsemolytically  active  until  properly  puri- 
fied. This  being  known,  careful  purification  of  the  glycyrrhizin  was 
resorted  to,  but  it  proved  as  inactive  after  purification  as  before.  This 
does  not,  however,  mean  that  glycyrrhizin  does  not  belong  to  the 
saponins  at  large.  It  no  doubt  belongs  to  the  lower  group,  the 
biologically  inactive  saponins. 
On  treatment  with  silver  nitrate,  glycyrrhizin  yields  a  prod- 
uct medicinally  equal  to  the  silver  albuminates.  On  hydrolysis 
by  means  of  diluted  mineral  acids  it  yields,  like  other  saponins, 
a  hsemolytically  active  sapogenin.  Here  the  very  interesting  fact 
was  discovered  that  if  taken  internally  it  undergoes  the  very  same 
changes  in  the  intestinal  tract  of  the  living  organism  by  virtue  of 
the  action  of  the  ferments.  These  findings  are  of  extraordinary  sig- 
nificance to  the  expert  chemist  who  may  be  called  upon  to  testify 
before  the  courts  in  cases  of  mysterious  deaths ;  for  on  finding  this 
hsemolytically  active  but  harmless  substance  in  the  intestinal  tract 
of  persons  having  taken  licorice  mixtures  in  some  form  or  other, 
and  having  died  suddenly  from  an  unknown  cause,  the  chemist  might 
be  misled  and  attribute  death  to  it,  because  its  action  on  blood  is  the 
same  as  that  of  the  poisonous  saponins. 
Glycyrrhiza  bark  differs  from  the  wood,  in  that  it  contains  a 
considerable  amount  of  resins,  collectively  known  as  glycyrrhiza 
resins.  It  is  these  resins  which  cause  the  bark  to  taste  so  markedly 
different  from  the  wood.    According  to  Professor  Tschirch,  they  are 
