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Selected Articles. 
From our experiments it would appear that the leaves of 
digitalis are composed of — 
1. Chlorophylline. 2. Resin. 3. Fatty matter. 4. Starch. 
5. Vegetable fibre. 6. Gum. 7. Tannin. 8. Salts of lime 
and potash. 9. Volatile oil. 10. A fatty oil. 11. Oxalate 
of potash. 
We are of opinion that we are rendering a real service to 
science in publishing these reflections. If we have not disco- 
vered the active principle of digitalis, we have at least cor- 
rected an error. Why, in fact, seek for a base in digitalis 
which in all probability exists in theory only 1 Is its presence 
required to explain the properties of this plant? We think not. 
Without affirming that digitaline does not exist, we believe 
that the purgative and diuretic properties of digitalis are 
owing to a union of all the substances composing it, and 
especially to the resin. This resin, in fact, is bitter, acrid, and 
almost corrosive. If a very small portion be applied to the 
tongue, a very painful sensation of heat and constriction of the 
throat is felt. Two grains cause a great irritation of the 
stomach. It is very soluble in hot alcohol, soluble in ether 
and the volatile oils, insoluble in water alone, but taken up 
by water sharpened with an acid. What perhaps proves 
still more that digitalis owes its properties to this resin, is, 
that the alcoholic tincture possesses the same action. It is 
also well known that the fecula deposited by the expressed 
juice has been much used in medicine, because the resin com- 
bined with it communicates active properties to it. 
Hyoscyamus. — If the observations of several distinguished 
chemists did not lend support to our investigations, we should 
not dare to assert that hyoscyamine is no better known than 
digitaline, and that it has never been isolated. M. Chevalier, 
who has several times attempted to separate it, has never 
succeeded, and certainly no one will contest the skill of this 
chemist. 
In commencing this investigation, we had not the wish to 
prove that hyoscyamine does not exist, on the contrary we 
were desirous of discovering and studying it. Although we 
have not obtained it, we are of opinion that we ought to publish 
