56      DIGITALIN  IN  AMERICAN  AND  EUROPEAN  DIGITALIS. 
these  reagents,  and  a  good  part  of  it  would  have  to  be  (on  my 
part)  assumption.  We  have,  however,  given  us  in  the  Dispen- 
satory a  method  for  the  preparation  of  digitalin  which  is  simple 
and  practical.  It  is  true  it  does  not  give  us  the  pure  alkaloid, 
but  it  gives  it  in  a  state  pure  enough  for  all  pharmaceutical  pur- 
poses, and  I  assumed  therefore  that  the  digitalin  meant  in  query 
84  was  the  "  digitalinum  "  of  the  [British]  Pharmacopoeia.* 
I  accordingly  wrote  to  the  house  of  W.  H.  SchiefFelin  &  Co.  to 
pr':cure  me  three  samples  of  digitalis,  such  as  came  into  the  market 
and  vrere  usually  sold  to  druggists.  In  fact,  I  desired  the  three  rep- 
resentatives of  the  goods  as  they  were  usually  found  in  the  market. 
They  sent  me  three  varieties  : 
No.  1.  Leaves.  Folia  digitalis,  from  George  Allen,  London, 
handsomely  packed  in  glass. 
No.  2.  The  ordinarily  packed  and  pressed  digitalis  of  the 
Shakers  of  Mt.  Lebanon,  containing  the  small  stalks. 
No.  3.  1  lb.  paper  package  digitalis,  German.  Name  of  grow- 
er or  packer  unknown. 
The  prices  ranged  as  follows : 
1  lb.  Fol.  digitalis,  English,  glass  jar,  $1.50. 
1  lb.        "  German,  .15. 
1  lb.  p'kge.  American  grown  digitalis,  .30. 
French  variety  could  not  be  obtained. 
The  process  adopted  was  essentially  that  of  the  Pharmacopoeia, 
being  a  slight  modification  of  Wittstein's  method. 
One  pound  avoirdupois  (7000  grs.)  of  the  drug  was  reduced  to 
a  powder  of  No.  60  fineness,  and  percolated  slowly  by  one  gallon 
three  fluid-ounces  alcohol,  gravity  -835,  mixed  with  two  drachms 
of  acetic  acid.  It  was  percolated  cold.  When  the  percolation 
was  finished  the  spirit  was  distilled  at  water-bath  heat,  the  ex- 
tract treated  with  four  fluid-ounces  distilled  water  containing 
one-half  drachm  of  acetic  acid,  and  digested  with  one  drachm 
animal  charcoal  (granulated),  and  filtered.  Filtrate  was  diluted 
with  distilled  water,  so  as  to  measure  a  pint  in  bulk.  Ammonia 
was  now  added  almost  to  neutralization,  and  the  fluid  precipi- 
tated with  80  grains  of  tannic  acid  dissolved  in  three  fluid-ounces 
of  distilled  water. 
*  Digitalin  contains  no  nitrogen  and  is  not  an  alkaloid. — J.  M.  M. 
