16 
PAPAIN. 
Most of the effects of papaya juice referred to above are due to the 
presence in the juice of an active principle which has been named 
"papain." 1 This was first investigated by Wurtz and Bouchut, in 
1879. 2 It may be separated from the juice by means of alcohol, and 
either the juice itself or the separated ferment is now well known to 
possess the power of digesting proteids, 3 
The medicinal use of this ferment has grown to considerable pro- 
portions and has given rise to a not insignificant trade in papaya 
juice. Exact data of imports of dried papaya juice in the United 
States are not available, but those closely in touch with the manufac- 
turing end of the business estimate the value of the importations at 
about $75,000 to $80,000. The price paid varies from $1.50 to $3 per 
pound. The product is often adulterated and also may in part lose its 
efficacy by careless methods of preparation. It therefore is bought 
on sample tested to determine its digestive properties. The term 
"papain," which primarily refers to the ferment, has been extended 
in its use and now is applied to the dried juice also, either crude or in 
various stages of manufacture. 
The chief sources of supply for the American trade are the West 
Indies and Ceylon. Some years ago Jamaica maintained an industry 
of some importance in collecting and preparing the juice for market, 
but it is no longer continued. Later the business grew up in the 
island of Montserrat, which became the chief producer in the West 
Indies, whose papain brought a much higher price than the average 
product from Ceylon. Opinion among large manufacturers seems 
to be divided on the question of the present relation of supply and 
demand, some stating that the consumption of the drug is on the 
increase and the prospect good for marketing larger quantities, while 
others affirm that the only means of extending the market now would 
i Written also papain and papaine. 
2 Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. [Paris], 89 (1879), p. 425. Wurte, ibid., 90 (1880), p. 1379; 91 (1880), p. 787. 
» Readers interested in a study of the chemical and physiological properties of papain may consult the 
following references: 
Amer. Jour. Med. Sci., n. ser., 124 (1902), pp. 310-318. 
Amer. Jour. Pharm.,73 (1901), Nos. 6, p. 272; 7, p. 336; 8, p. 383. Reprinted in Bui. Dept. Agr. 
Jamaica, 1 (1903), No. 8, p. 181; 2 (1904), Nos. 4, p. 84; 5, p. 113; 8, p. 178. 
Amer. Jour Physiol., 1 (1898), No. 2, pp. 255-276. 
Ann. Bot. [London], 17 (1903), pp. 237-264; 19 (1905), pp. 149-162. 
Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. [Paris], 148 (1909), No. 8, pp. 497-500. 
Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol. [Paris], 66 (1909), Nos. 5, p. 227; 8, p. 366. 
Jour. Biol. Chem., 8 (1910), No. 3, pp. 177-213. 
Jour. Physiol., 5 (1885), pp. 213-230; 6 (1885), pp. 336-360. 
London Med. Rec, 3 (1875), p. 253. 
Pharm. Jour, and Trans., 3. ser., 10 (1879), pp. 343-346, 383-386. 
Pharm. Jour. [London], 4. ser., 2 (1896), p. 182. 
Trans. Conn. Acad. Arts and Sci., 11 (1901), pt. 1, pp. 1-14. 
U. S. Dispensatory. Philadelphia, 1907, 19. ed., pp. 1603, 1604. 
West Indian Bui., 4 (1903), No. 1, pp. 22-28. 
Christy, T. New Commercial Plants and Drugs. London, 1881-1886, Nos. 4, p. 38; 5, p. 59; 6, p. 66; 7, 
p. 67; 8, p. 67; 9, p. 40. 
