624 AGENTS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN 



merit. Pancreatin is thus more useful than pepsin on account 

 of its more extended actions. 



It does not digest food in an acid medium, but may aid 

 digestion in the stomach, before much gastric juice has been 

 secreted, during the first half hour after the ingestion of 

 food. Pancreatin acts more efficiently in intestinal indiges- 

 tion because of the presence of an alkaline secretion. For 

 this reason paticreatin is commonly prescribed with sodium 

 bicarbonate, and, if given for intestinal indigestion, it is 

 administered in pill or tablet to dogs one or two hours after 

 feeding. It is indicated in diarrhoea, when the faecal move- 

 ments contain particles of undigested food, and in other 

 forms of deficient digestion due to general disease. Pan- 

 creatin is more especially valuable to digest food previous to 

 its administration by the mouth or rectum (see Artificial 

 Feeding, p. 663.) For this purpose a good preparation can be 

 made extemporaneously by washing and cutting up a fresh 

 pig's pancreas, soaking it in absolute alcohol for 24 hours, 

 pressing out the alcohol, macerating it in ten times its weight 

 of glycerin for 48 hours, and filtering. The filtered glycerin 

 extract is added in the proportion of 3 i- to the pint of warm 

 milk, with a little sodium bicarbonate, to artificially digest it. 



Fel Bovis. Oxgall. (U. S. P.) 



Synonym. — Fel tauri, inspissated oxgall, E. 



The fresh bile of Bos Taurus Linne (class Mammalia ; 

 order Buminantia). 



Properties. — A brownish-green or dark green, somewhat 

 viscid liquid, having a peculiar, unpleasant odor, and a dis- 

 agreeable, bitter taste. Spec. gr. 1.018 to 1.028. It is 

 neutral, or has a slightly alkaline reaction. 



Dose, — D., gr.v.-xv. (.3-1.). 



PREPARATION. 



Fel Bovis Purificatum. Purified Oxgall. (XJ. S. P.) 

 Synonym. — Fel bovinum purificatum, B.P.; fiel de boeuf purifie, 

 Fr.; gereinigte ochsengalle (rindsgalle), G. 



