THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
MARCH,  i go 2. 
THE  EVOLUTION  AND  USE  OF  THE  ANIMAL  DIGEST- 
IVE FERMENTS  IN  MEDICINE. 
By  Benjamin  T.  Fairchujd. 
{Concluded from  page  6/.) 
The  period  covering  the  past  twenty  years  has  been  one  of 
quickened  and  extended  interest  and  progress  in  the  applied 
science  of  the  digestive  ferments.  In  this  time  we  see  the  begin- 
ning of  their  practical  use  in  the  artificial  digestion  of  foods 
for  the  sick  by  methods  available  in  the  household  by  means  of 
various  special  preparations  of  the  pancreas  ferments.  The  animal 
digestive  juices  and  ferments  are  now  largely  utilized  in  the  tech- 
nical laboratory  in  the  production  of  peptonized  foods  in  an  agree- 
able, adequately  nutritious  and  stable  form,  especially  adapted  as 
widely  available  foods  for  the  sick.  The  observations  of  Roberts  on 
the  pancreatic  ferments  as  peptonizing  agents,  led  thus  to  a  realiza- 
tion and  development  of  their  remarkable  availability  in  the 
feeding  of  the  sick.  The  dependence  of  pepsin  upon  an  acid 
reaction,  and  the  limitation  of  its  action  to  proteids  only,  has 
restricted  its  use  in  the  artificial  digestion  of  food  purely  to  labora- 
tory methods.  Pancreatic  preparations  in  both  dry  and  fluid  form, 
prepared  by  direct  extraction  from  the  glands  or  by  precipitation 
with  strong  alcohol  from  infusions  of  the  gland,  have  come  into 
very  general  use  as  therapeutic  agents. 
The  manufacture  of  pepsin  has  been  greatly  improved,  and  its 
standard  of  value  raised  to  an  adequate  point.    The  milk-curdling 
(105) 
