PEPSIN — PANCREATIN 219 



3. DIGESTIVE FERMENTS 



The digestive ferments used in medicine are : 



Pepsin _ Taka Diastase 



Pancreatin Papain 



Rennin Ingluvin 



Diastase Secretin 



Hormonal 



PEPSINUM — PEPSIN 



This is an enzyme usually obtained from the fresh mucous mem- 

 brane of the hog's stomach. It is almost entirely soluble in 50 parts 

 of water and more so in water acidulated with hydrochloric acid. 

 It acts in a weakly acid medium to change the insoluble proteins 

 of the food into soluble proteins. According to Sollmann, it is de- 

 Ftroyed by 0.02 per cent, of ISTaOH and is inhibited by strong acids. 

 The U. S. P. requires it to digest 3000 times its weight of coagulated 

 egg protein at 125.6 °F, in 2% hours in solutions of water contain- 

 ing one part of absolute hydrochloric acid in 3000 of water. It 

 regularly contains some rennin, so will coagulate milk. 



Frohner advises the use of hydrochloric acid and pepsin in case 

 either is indicated on account of the inability to ascertain which is 

 needed in animals. He further states that they can be used in the 

 treatment of all diseases of the stomach and disturbances of diges- 

 tion in the course of febrile and general diseases with the exception 

 of rarely occurring gastric ulcer in calves. In veterinary practice 

 hydrochloric acid is more frequently used alone. 



Doses. 



Pepsinum. Horses. 3 j — ijss; 5 — 10. »Dogs. grs. jss — ^xv; 

 0.1 — 1. Swine, grs. xxx — Ix; 2 — 4. 



PANCREATINUM — PANCREATIN 



Pancreatin is usually obtained from the fresh pancreas of the hog 

 or ox. It contains the specific ferments of the pancreas and repre- 

 sents its external secretion but there is no evidence that it represents 

 its internal secretion and it has no power to check pancreatic dia- 

 betes. Its most notable actions are those of its enzymes, trypsin, 

 amylopsin and steapsin. It acts best in an alkaline medium. 



In regard to its protein and starch digesting power, the U. S. P. 

 specifies that 1 grain of pancreatin with 5 grains of sodium bicar- 

 bonate must be able to peptonize completely 3 ounces of cow's milk 

 at 100.4 °F., in 30 minutes. It further specifies that this amount 

 of pancreatin (1 gr.) must be able to change 25 times its weight of 



