^™kirch  191^™" }  Biological  Standardisation  of  Drugs.  107 
is  apt  to  lend  some  bias  to  one's  judgment  and  also  because  of 
longer  experience  one  naturally  obtains  more  uniform  with  the 
method  he  is  accustomed  to  use. 
I  wish  to  go  on  record,  however,  as  believing  that  the  adop- 
tion of  any  one  of  these  methods  will  give  to  those  who  need 
digitalis  medication  a  vastly  more  uniform  drug  than  is  now  ob- 
tainable. Absolute  accuracy  cannot  be  expected,  but  there  can 
be  no  question  that  a  comparatively  accurate  assay  of  digitalis  is 
possible  with  variations  not  exceeding  10  per  cent,  in  the  thera- 
peutic activity  of  the  drug. 
Ergot : 
Ergot,  the  drug  next  in  importance  to  the  digitalis  group,  is 
used  especially  at  child  birth  to  promote  contraction  of  the  uterus 
and  to  thus  prevent  dangerous  and  even  fatal  hemorrhage.  At 
the  present  time  there  is  no  known  way  to  assay  ergot  accurately 
by  chemical  means,  but  it  is  known  from  clinical  as  well  as  physio- 
logical tests  that  many  samples  of  ergot  on  the  market  are  absolutely 
devoid  of  a  typical  ergot  action,  thus  often  exposing  mothers  to 
one  of  the  most  feared  accidents  of  child  bearing. 
The  chemistry  of  ergot  is  becoming  better  known  and  at  the 
present  time  some  five  active  constituents  have  been  pretty  cer- 
tainly isolated  in  a  pure  state.  These  are  ergotoxine  and  ergo- 
tinine,  which  are  characteristic  of  ergot,  parahydroxyphenylethyl- 
amine,  betaimidoazolylethylamine,  and  guanidobutylamine — the 
amines  being  found  also  in  other  places  as  in  the  decomposition 
of  meats.  Of  these,  ergotoxine  causes  a  marked  contraction  of 
the  pregnant  uterus  and  also-  a  certain  amount  of  contraction  of 
the  non-pregnant  organ.  In  addition  it  also  causes  bluing  and 
gangrene  of  the  cock's  comb  and  causes  an  increase  of  blood 
pressure.  Ergotinine  has  little  or  no  activity  but  is  closely  related 
chemically  to  ergotoxine.  One  of  the  amines  causes  a  rise  in 
blood  pressure,  another  a  fall,  but  both  cause  contraction  of  the 
non-pregnant  uterus.  It  has  by  no  means  been  clearly  established 
what  their  effect  is  upon  the  pregnant  organ.  The  third  amine 
has  not  been  tested  physiologically.  In  addition  there  is  no  reason 
to  believe  that  there  may  not  yet  be  some  half  dozen  other  bodies 
all  with  more  or  less  action  on  the  uterus. 
For  digitalis  chemical  methods  may  at  some  time  be  available, 
but  it  seems  absolutely  unlikely  that  a  chemical  assay  will  ever 
