J  28 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I      March,  1910. 
Tetanus  Antitoxin. — Dr.  John  F.  Anderson  describes  the  com- 
mercial preparations  of  tetanus  antitoxin  and  calls  attention  to  the 
variations  in  strength  that  were  found  before  the  general  adoption 
of  the  American  standard  for  determining  the  strength  of  this  sub- 
stance. He  believes  that  this  antitoxin  is  rightfully  entitled  to  be 
included  in  future  editions  of  the  U.S. P. — Ibid.,  54,  pp.  253-254. 
Physiological  Testing  of  Ergot  Preparations. — John  C.  Umney 
discusses  the  practicability  of  establishing  a  standard  for  prepara- 
tions of  ergot,  and  reports  that  three  physiological  experts  gave 
widely  varying  opinions  on  a  sample  of  fluidextract  of  ergot  pre- 
pared from  fine  bold  ergot  by  the  B.P.  method. — Pharm.  J.}  Lond., 
1909,  73>  P-  794- 
Physiological  Standardization. — Alexander  Goodall  asserts  that 
there  is  a  growing  recognition  of  the  necessity  for  determining  the 
activity  and  the  probable  strength  of  certain  potent  remedies  whose 
active  principles  have  hitherto  successfully  eluded  the  persevering 
researches  of  the  chemist.  Among  the  drugs  that  should  be  tested 
in  this  way  he  mentions  squill,  digitalis,  strophanthus,  cannabis 
indica,  suprarenal  substance,  and  ergot. — Pharm.  J.,  Lond.,  1910, 
74,  pp.  112-113. 
Strophanthin. — Fleishmann  '  and  Wjasmenski  (Dent,  med. 
Wchnschr.,  1909,  No.  21)  report  observations  on  31  cases  of  intra- 
venous injections  of  strophanthin  gratus.  While  this  method  of 
administration  is  pointed  out  as  being  remarkably  efficient,  attention 
is  also  called  to  the  fact  that  much  care  is  necessary  in  the  use  of 
this  remedy,  as  the  therapeutic  dose  is  dangerously  near  the  toxic 
dose.  The  dose  for  an  adult  they  give  as  0.0005. — Nonv.  Reined., 
1909,  26,  p.  517. 
Digalen. — Worth  Hale  reports  a  comparative  study  of  digalen 
and  concludes  that  this  article  is  not  a  uniformly  stable  preparation. 
Biologic  tests  also  indicate  that  digalen  is  relatively  much  less  potent 
than  corresponding  amounts  of  crystalline  digitoxin  but  is  of  about 
the  same  activity  as  digitalein. — /.  Am.  M.  Assoc.,  1910,  54,  pp. 
35-38. 
Digipuraium. — The  same  investigator  also  reports  a  study  of 
the  comparative  strength  of  digipuratum,  said  to  be  a  purified  extract 
of  digitalis,  and  concludes  that  this  preparation  is  of  about  the 
same  activitv  as  the  strongest  digitalis  preparations  on  the  market, 
but  that  it  appears  to  offer  no  special  advantages  over  standardize-1 
official  preparations. — Ibid.,  54,  pp.  129-130. 
