ON PEPSINE* 
113 
in water. Experience has shown the physiological action of pepsine, to which the gas¬ 
tric juice owes its digestive powers, as it produces the operations of digestion exactly 
identical. 
2. Its Employ. —It should be a medicine acceptable to the taste, and the digestive 
power, naturally variable, should be brought by science to a uniform standard; and, 
finally, that a chemical determination should be made as to the doses in which it should 
he administered. It was in 1851 that the first chemical observations were made by 
Corvisart, and towards the end of 1852 this doctor communicated his opinions to the 
Academy of Sciences ; some refused to admit the idea of assisting human digestion by 
the digestive agent of animals, or that this, once extracted, could retain the properties 
it possessed as gastric juice ; but others, more advanced in modern science, saw in this a 
radical progress in an entire branch of therapeutics. In 1854, Corvisart determined the 
form, the mode of administration, the doses, and the cases which required the applica¬ 
tion of this new physiological medicine ; the detailed observations of a great number of 
physicians depose to the correctness of the result stated. Thirty-two cases were reported, 
in a third the contra test recommended by Corvisart had been tried with the best success, 
viz. with the cessation of the pepsine at meals the indigestion, reappeared. The same 
year, Rilliet (Geneva) stated the good effects of its use, and recommended that it should 
be tried in all cases of disordered stomach. In 1855, L. Fleury reported many successful 
cases. Desmartes (Bordeaux) advocated its employ in chlorosis and choleraic diarrhoea 
of infants. Dechambie also published the happy results from its use; and Debout, 
from his experience, particularly recommended it in the diarrhoea of young children. 
In 1856, Corvisart was rewarded by the Institut. In 1857, Ballard, physician to St. 
George’s Hospital, having employed Boudault’s pepsine, stated, “ he thought that he 
ought to acquaint the profession w T ith the results he had obtained, as they promised 
henceforth to largely diminish the mortality from many diseases at the same period, 
another English physician, Nelson, confirmed the good effects of liquid pepsine (liquor 
pepticus). Finally, T. K. Chambers, Dr. Todd, Dr. Protheroe Smith, James Ross, 
William Moore (Dublin), strengthened the facts already advanced. In 1858, L. Gros 
employed pepsine with success in the sickness incidental to pregnancy; Barthez has ad¬ 
ministered it to children suffering with apepsia, in which the food passes through the sto¬ 
mach and bowels undigested ; after the exhibition of the pepsine, digestion took place, 
and the stools presented a natural appearance. 
Pepsine is indicated in cases where the secretions of the stomach, being disordered, the 
digestion is laborious, imperfect, or almost impossible—that is to say, in gastralgia, 
dyspepsia, debility, convalescence from acute diseases, etc., when the food produces 
vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea, etc. etc. We may add, that the rapidity of its action in 
appropriate cases is so great that it forms an excellent means of diagnosis; employed at 
hazard in an affection of this sort, if it succeeds, in three or four days the cure commences ; 
if it fails, this short space of time is sufficient to show that it is not in the gastric juice 
that the physician ought to search for the cause of the malady, an advantage which 
spares much loss of valuable time and useless treatment. This was especially remarked 
by Rilliet in his practice. 
3. Its Pharmaceutical Preparation.- —It is solely perfectly pure pepsine that is capable 
of being employed therapeutically. When pure, after being extracted and dried at 40°, it 
has the form of laminse or scales of a lemon colour, very similar to dried albumen ; taste 
slightly styptic, and generally a slight odour of cheese when rubbed. It is extremely 
delicate, and a temperature higher than 45° C. completely destroys its digestive property 
without altering its chemical composition. It is impossible to employ pepsine in a state 
of extract for many reasons. 
First. It has been remarked that pepsine (a product of fermentation rather than a 
simple chemical body) varies extremely in energy according to the species of animal 
from which it is procured, and in the same animal whether taken at the time of eating 
or fasting, whether young or old, change of seasons, etc. etc., so that any two prepara¬ 
tions do not resemble each other. Sometimes it is necessary to use 20 centigrammes to 
produce a given effect, another time 70 ; but it is important to the physician to be able 
to administer an equal digestive power in the same weight, it is necessary to add to the 
pepsine a variable quantity of inert matter, so that a given weight contains always an 
equal amount of digestive power. 
Secondly. When the extract is desiccated without any additional substance it does 
