102 
Pharmaceutical  Meeting. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
X    February,  1902. 
Digestive  Ferments  in  Medicine"  (see  p.  53).  The  author  treated  of 
the  genesis  of  the  subject  in  its  relationship  to  pharmacy  and  medi- 
cine and  briefly  referred  to  the  brilliant  researches  of  Spallanzani, 
Schwann,  Kiihne,  Buchner,  and  others.  Spallanzani  was  the  first 
to  make  a  distinction  between  peptic  digestion  and  putrefaction; 
Schwann  first  demonstrated  the  existence  of  pepsin  in  the  gastric 
juice  ;  Kiihne  introduced  the  name  enzymes ;  Buchner  has  shown, 
the  presence  of  zymase  in  yeast  capable  of  setting  up  alcoholic 
fermentation. 
Mr.  Fairchild  considered  the  different  theories  in  regard  to  fer- 
mentation :  the  production  of  digestive  ferments  by  the  animal  cell 
their  action  upon  the  various  kinds  of  tissues  with  which  they  may 
be  brought  into  contact,  and  the  different  conditions  and  substances 
which  influence  and  destroy  their  action.  This  was  then  followed 
by  the  consideration  of  the  utilization  and  isolation  of  these  physio- 
logical principles,  and  especially  the  advances  made  in  bringing  them 
into  available  form  in  medicine. 
The  use  of  pepsin  in  medicine  and  pharmacy  was  referred  to  in 
detail  by  the  speaker,  who  said  that  the  first  pepsin  to  be  prepared 
in  a  commercial  way  was  of  French  origin.  The  introduction  of 
pepsin  into  the  different  Pharmacopoeias  was  discussed,  their 
strengths  noted,  as  also  the  manner  of  testing.  The  different 
methods  for  extracting  and  preparing  pepsin  for  the  market  were 
considered,  and  the  author  in  this  connection  presented  the  different 
theories  in  regard  to  the  origin  of  pepsin,  the  peculiar  conditions 
necessary  for  the  action  of  digestive  ferments,  and  the  care  that 
should  be  exercised  in  combining  them  with  substances  that  either 
have  only  an  inhibitory  effect  or  destroy  their  action  entirely. 
The  pancreatic  ferments  were  dealt  with,  the  author  discussing 
their  properties,  compatibilities,  and  their  use  in  the  artificial  diges- 
tion of  foods.  He  said  that  while  pancreatic  juice  is  held  to  be 
alkaline  in  character,  nevertheless  he  finds  the  fresh  gland  and 
infusions  therefrom  to  be  invariably  acid. 
In  discussing  the  paper,  Dr.  Lowe  referred  to  the  erroneous 
notions  held  by  many  in  regard  to  the  influence  that  ferments  have 
in  digestion.  J.  W.  England  moved  that  a  special  vote  of  thanks  be 
tendered  to  Mr.  Fairchild  for  his  valuable  paper,  and  said  that  it 
seemed  especially  appropriate  for  it  to  be  presented  at  this  time,  as 
it  was  just  thirty  years  ago  that  E.  SchefTer  published  a  paper  in  the 
