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Selected Articles. 
ART. XLV. CHEMICAL EXAMINATION OF DIGITALIS AND 
HYOSCYAMUS. By M. M. Brault and Poggiale. 
About six months since we were occupied with the analysis 
of the Digitalis, and especially of digitaline. These researches 
not possessing, in our opinion, sufficient interest or novelty to 
require notice, we did not publish them. But specimens of 
digiialine having been lately sent to the Royal Academy of 
Medicine, which proved to be nitrate of potash and sulphate 
of lime, we shall now make known the result of our labours. 
In making these researches, our intention was to study, 
analyze and endeavour to classify this substance. We had 
no doubt of its existence, as we could not suppose that so 
many persons could be deceived. We therefore several times 
repeated the processes employed to prepare this pretended 
alkaloid, but never were able to detect it. 
At one time we supposed that we had succeeded, because 
we obtained beautiful white crystals, but these proved, on 
analysis, to be sulphate of lime. 
The process of M. Pauquy consists in boiling the leaves of 
the digitalis in distilled water which has been rendered sour 
by the addition of sulphuric acid, treating the decoction with 
calcined magnesia, and the dried precipitate with alcohol. 
This, when distilled, afforded a white substance in fine acicular 
crystals. Without fear of contradiction, we assert that this 
process will never afford the desired results. It is of importance 
that others should repeat it, and we trust such will be the case, 
that a process so defective should no longer be quoted and 
referred to. 
We have also tried the method proposed by M. Leroyer, 
which is too long for insertion, and have always obtained, 
with that chemist, a brown pitch-like substance, possessing 
an excessively acrid bitter taste. This is the active principle 
of the digitalis or the digitaline of M. Leroyer. We have 
examined this brown substance with great care, as we hoped 
to extract a crystalline principle from it, and became con- 
