504 
Infusion  of  Digitalis. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct.,  1884. 
INFUSION  OF  DIGITALIS. 
By  Frank  Elliott  Valentine,  Ph.G. 
From  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
» 
Prepared  with  tincture  of  cinnamon  according  to  the  formula  of  the 
U.  S.  P.,  1870,  a  very  unsatisfactory  preparation  was  the  result; 
the  objection  arising  from  the  persistent  precipitate,  which  made  its 
appearance  within  a  few  hours,  continued  to  form  after  nitration,  and 
was  not  completed  in  the  specimen  under  examination  after  a  period  of 
six  weeks.  Whether  or  not  this  precipitate  contained  any  digitalin  or 
any  active  principle  of  the  drug  has  been  the  subject  of  some  discus- 
sion (see  paper  by  D.  E.  Prall,  in  "Am.  Jour.  Phar.,"  1878,  p.  422). 
By  way  of  experiment  the  whole  amount  of  precipitate  from  four  pints 
of  infusion  was  collected,  dried  and  administered  to  an  adult  within  a 
period  of  ten  hours.  The  amount  taken  was  not  less  than  fifty  grains 
and  was  in  a  rather  impure  state,  yet  this  quantity  produced  no  other 
effect  than  a  slight  nausea ;  no  reduction  of  the  pulse  nor  any  action 
whatever  upon  the  heart  being  noticed. 
A  few  drops  of  hydrochloric  acid  were  added  to  two  pints  of  another 
portion  of  the  infusion ;  a  copious  precipitate  was  thrown  down  within 
two  hours.  This  was  collected  and  dried,  and  the  entire  quantity, 
about  thirty  grains,  administered  to  an  adult  within  a  period  of  ten 
hours.  No  effect  was  noticed,  the  nausea  of  the  former  experiment 
being  absent. 
The  conclusion  arrived  at  as  a  result  of  these  experiments  coincides 
with  that  of  others,  viz.,  that  the  precipitate  is  due  to  the  presence  of 
cinnamon  and  is  inert.  In  the  opinion  of  the  writer  it  consists  of  an 
altered  form  of  tannic  acid,  thrown  out  from  the  cinnamon,  and  con- 
tains no  digitalin  nor  any  active  principle  of  the  digitalis.  But  the 
fact  that  the  precipitate  is  inert,  is  no  reason  why  its  presence  should 
be  disregarded. 
An  improvement  in  the  formula  was  attempted  in  the  last  revision 
of  the  Pharmacopoeia  by  the  substitution  for  tincture  of  cinnamon  of 
the'  old  formula,  of  sufficient  amount  of  the  bark  to  produce  the  proper 
aromatic  effect.  This  change  served  only  to  lessen  the  amount  of  the 
precipitate,  but  failed  to  overcome  the  difficulty.  It  has  been  sug- 
gested by  some  to  omit  the  cinnamon  altogether  or  to  replace  it  by  the 
addition  of  a  small  quantity  of  oil  of  cinnamon.    Yet,  in  the  opinion 
