512 
HYPOPHOSPHITES. 
it  leaves  the  bowels  longer  in  a  lax  and  soluble  condition."  u  The 
medical  properties  of  the  Podophyllum  peltatum,"  says  Dr.  Bigelow, 
u  are  those  of  a  sure  and  active  cathartic,  in  which  character  it  de- 
serves a  high  rank  among  our  indigenous  productions.  We  have 
hardly  any  native  plant  which  answers  better  the  common  purposes 
of  jalap,  aloes,  and  rhubarb." 
Dr.  W.  P.  C.  Barton,  and  indeed  all  others  who  have  used  the 
remedy,  give  uniform  testimony  of  its  certainty  and  efficiency. 
Resin  of  podophyllum,  or  podophyllin,  appears  to  represent  all 
the  activity  of  the  root,  is  efficient,  and  when  properly  combined 
with  other  purgatives,  as  it  would  be  in  this  pill,  mild  in  its  effects. 
The  high  price  of  scammony,  together  with  the  fact  that  it  is 
nearly  always  adulterated, — indeed  the  pure  article  is  seldom  met 
with  in  the  drug  market, — renders  it  very  desirable  that  we  should 
find  an  efficient  substitute  :  and  if  it  can  be  obtained  from  this,-— 
one  of  our  own  indigenous  plants, — at  a  comparatively  low  price, 
and  of  uniform  composition,  it  will  enable  us  to  dispense  with  an 
article  of  such  uncertain  strength  as  commercial  scammony  now  is. 
Podophyllin  is  an  active  hydragogue  cathartic  fully  equalling  vir- 
gin scammony  in  effect,  resembles  it  in  the  character  of  evacuations 
produced  by  it,  and  is  applicable  to  similar  diseased  states  of  the 
system,  and  can,  I  think,  be  advantageously  substituted  in  any  of 
the  p  reparations  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  in  which  scammony  forms 
an  ingredient. 
Alexandria,  Va.,  1858. 
From  the  Proceedings  of  the  American  Pliarm,.  Association^.  1858. 
HYPOPHOSPHITES. 
By  Charles  Bullock. 
According  to  Pelouze  and  Fremy,  when  phosphorus  is  boiled 
with  sulphuret  of  barium,  there  is  formed  hypophosphite  of  baryta 
and  hydrosulphuric  acid,  the  latter  of  which  is  disengaged. 
Wurtz  states,  that  the  phosphorus  absorbs  the  sulphur,  and  is 
resolved  together,  with  the  water,  into  hydrosulphuric  acid,  which 
combines  with  the  monosulphide  of  barium  and  hypophosphorous 
acid.  Finally  a  solution  is  obtained  consisting  of  hypophosphite  of 
baryta,  and  double  sulphide  of  hydrogen  and  barium.  The  double 
sulphide  is  decomposed  by  digestion  with  carbonate  of  lead. 
It  is  also  stated  by  some  writers  that  the  presence  of  alcohol  pre- 
