257 
the liquid preparations of digitalis these are to be freshly prepared 
at more or less frequent intervals. — Pliarm. Ztg. Berk, 1906, v. 51, p. 
807. 
An editorial calls attention to the results of examinations of dig- 
italis leaves which had been stored with especial precautions. The 
leaves and possibly tablet triturates are hygroscopic, and the mois- 
ture favors the decomposition of the contained glucosides by 
enzymes. — -N. York, M. J., 1906, v. 84, p. 1279. 
Focke (Yiertel Jahressclir., f. gericht. Med. u. offentl. Sanitatswesen, 
1906) outlines the requirements that should be made by the pharma- 
copoeia for digitalis leaf. Among the several requirements he sug- 
gests a description for the powdered drug; he outlines requirement 
for its physiological action and the requirement that the drug be pre- 
served not longer than two years. — Apotli. Ztg., Berl., 1906, v. 21, 
p. 580. 
Caesar and Loretz call attention to the importance of having digi- 
talis tested physiologically, and assert that when properly powdered 
and dried this drug can be kept for years without any appreciable 
change. — Geschiifts-Ber. v. Caesar and Loretz, 1906, pp. 29-31. 
Smith, F. A. Upshur, points out that in digitalis we have a drug 
which has yielded to various chemical investigators a multitude of 
different, more or less pure, substances, some of them closely resem- 
bling others. It would appear from this, even allowing for experi- 
mental error, that the active principles of digitalis are very readily 
changed from one chemical form into another. On this account the 
action of solar light, one of the most potent agents for chemical 
change, should be excluded from the liquid preparations of digi- 
talis. — Pharm. J., Bond., 1906, v. 22, p. 85. 
Philipp Roder, Wien, proposes a quantitative test for tincture of 
digitalis, as follows: Ten gm. of tincture of digitalis are mixed 
with an equal volume of water and evaporated, on a water bath, to 
one-half the volume, precipitated with basic lead acetate, filtered, 
and the filtrate shaken out with chloroform. This chloroform solu- 
tion should, on evaporation, leave a residue which, when dissolved 
in concentrated sulphuric acid, will give a violet coloration on the 
addition of bromine water. — Pharm. Zentralh., 1906, v. 47, p. 523. 
An editorial discusses some of the recent contributions to our 
knowledge of digitalis and points out the need for keeping the leaves 
free from moisture. — Am. Druggist, N. Y., 1906, v. 49, p. 355. 
Hartwich and Bohny discuss the adulteration of digitalis with spe- 
cial regard to the composition of commercial powdered digitalis. 
They point out that the purchase of drugs in the powdered form by 
pharmicists is on the increase, but insist that it is only permissible 
when these powders are properly controlled by microscopic and chem- 
11667— Bull. 58—09 
17 
