Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
August,  1899.  / 
Artificial  Foods. 
383 
Without  discussing  Kiliani's  claims  as  to  the  absence  of  digi- 
talin,  digitonin  and  possibly  digitalein  in  digitalis  leaf,  it  seems 
clear  from  Hofmann's  experiments  with  digitoxin — its  difficulty 
of  absorption,  the  length  of  time  necessary  to  yield  cardiac  and 
renal  effects,  its  slowness  of  elimination  and  the  relative 
rapidity  of  absorption  of  digitalis  tinctures — all  preclude  the  ao 
ceptance  of  Kiliani's  claim  that  digitoxin  is  the  most  important 
therapeutical  principle  of  digitalis  leaf. 
The  severe  local  pain  following  hypodermic  injections  of  digi- 
toxin, the  prolonged  sensitiveness  of  injected  tissues  and  the  slow- 
ness of  physiological  effects  indicate  a  great  difficulty  of  absorption 
and  assimilation,  so  much  so  that  one  is  led  to  ask  the  question: 
"Is  it  not  probable  that  the  water-insoluble  digitoxin  is  absorbed 
not  as  digitoxin,  but  as  water-soluble  decomposition  product  or 
products?" 
Digitalis  is  sometimes  cumulative  in  action.  When  taken  for  a 
long  time  there  are  occasionally  exhibited  symptoms  without  any 
increase  in  the  use  of  the  drug.  This  has  been  thought  to  be  due  to 
the  fact  that  the  proximate  principles  of  the  drug  were  not  excreted 
by  the  kidneys  as  fast  as  absorbed,  and  that  they  therefore  accu- 
mulated in  the  body.  But  from  the  experiments  detailed  above, 
and  in  my  paper  on  Tincture  of  Fat-free  Digitalis,  it  would  seem  to 
be  more  reasonable  to  believe  that  cumulative  action,  where  exist- 
ent, is  due  to  the  slow  absorption  and  elimination  of  digitoxin.  With 
a  bed-patient,  a  good  tincture  of  digitalis,  for  example,  should  yield 
primary  effects  in  from  15  to  30  minutes,  and  full  effects  in  from  45 
to  60  minutes.  Digitoxin,  however,  on  hypodermic  injections,  re- 
quires, before  any  effects  are  shown,  6  hours  and  over.  Now,  if 
a  large  number  of  doses  of  a  digitalis  tincture  are  given,  and  the 
use  of  the  drug  is  withdrawn,  may  not  the  accumulated  digitoxin 
(of  the  tincture)  by  absorption  give  rise  to  the  dangerous  symptoms 
which  are  called  the  cumulative  effects  of  digitalis  ? 
ARTIFICIAL  FOODS;  WHY  THEY  EXIST  AND  WHAT 
THEY  ARE. 
By  J.  Percy  Remington,  B.S.  (U.  of  P.). 
In  this  paper  an  endeavor  will  be  made  to  discuss,  in  a  practical 
manner,  the  subject  of  Artificial  Foods,  touching  upon  the  reasons 
