AmAp°rnr"  iP9hi8rm'  )      Method  of  Cleaning  Digitalis.  245 
was  as  follows :  Ten  mils  of  a  10  per  cent,  infusion  of  digitalis 
leaves  were  placed  in  a  separatory  funnel,  ten  mils  of  chloroform 
added  and  the  two  liquids  shaken.  The  mixture  was  allowed  to 
settle  and  then  10  mils  of  a  mixture  of  equal  parts  of  95  per  cent, 
alcohol  and  ether  were  added.  The  chloroform-ether  mixture  was 
filtered  off  and  evaporated.  The  residue  was  dissolved  in  3  mils  of 
acetic  acid.  To  this  solution  one  drop  of  a  10  per  cent,  solution 
of  ferric  chloride  was  added  and  then  a  layer  of  sulphuric  acid  was 
introduced  at  the  lower  portion  of  the  test  tube,  by  means  of  a 
pipette.  A  brown  red  color  changing  to  a  bluish  green  at  the  zone 
of  contact  is  indicative  of  digitoxin  (the  digitoxin  zone). 
The  results  of  the  application  of  the  test  when  applied  to  each 
of  the  separated  portions  are  given  in  the  following  table : 
Table  III. 
Digitoxin  Tests. 
Petioles. 
(See  Table  No.  5.) 
Coarse  Screenings. 
(Table  No.  i.) 
Coarse  Tailings. 
(Table  No.  2.) 
Middlings. 
(Table  No.  2.) 
Fine  Powder. 
(Table  No.  2.) 
Faint 
Positive 
Positive 
Positive 
Negative 
It  will  be  noted  that  all  samples  gave  a  positive  reaction  for 
digitoxin  with  the  exception  of  the  fine  siftings  which  yielded  56 
per  cent,  of  ash  and  which  on  microscopic  examination  revealed 
practically  no  tissues  of  digitalis  leaf  except  the  trichomes.  These 
tests  on  the  siftings  are  particularly  interesting  in  that  they  indicate 
that  the  hairs  of  digitalis  are  devoid  of  digitoxin.  The  elimination 
then  of  siftings  in  this  case  would  in  no  way  be  detrimental  to  the 
drug  unless  other  medicinally  valuable  glucosides  were  present. 
Whether  or  not  these  fine  siftings  have  a  detrimental  effect  upon  the 
quality  of  tinctures  or  infusions  prepared  from  the  drug  will  be 
reported  upon  in  a  subsequent  paper. 
Attention  is  here  called  to  what  is  apparently  an  error  in  con- 
sidering the  green  color  developing  in  the  above  so  called  digitoxin 
test  as  digitoxin.  Digitoxin  is  insoluble  in  water  and  hence  cannot 
possibly  be  present  in  the  infusion  unless  solution  is  effected  by  the 
presence  of  other  substances  in  the  leaf.  Our  extensive  work  with 
Digitalis  during  the  past  six  years  has  uncovered  much  evidence 
which  leads  us  to  believe  that  digitoxin  does  not  exist  as  such  in  the 
leaf  of  the  growing  digitalis  plant.  The  immediate  drying  by  arti- 
ficial heat  of  the  freshly  collected  digitalis  leaves  undoubtedly  les- 
