214 
Remarks  on  Digitalis. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\       May,  1915. 
specific  gravity  from  0.945  to  0.991,  and  in  extract  content  from 
10.30  to  17.41  per  cent." 
And  Puckner  (Jour.  Amer.Med.  Assn.,  1913)  claims: 
"  Examination  of  20  samples  of  fluidextract  of  digitalis  con- 
firmed the  generally-held  belief  that  commercial  digitalis  prepara- 
tions vary  most  widely.  The  most  active  were  found  to  be  nearly 
four  times  as  active  as  the  weakest." 
Against  this  statement  protests  were  afterwards  printed  in  a 
number  of  pharmaceutical  publications. 
In  the  coming  pharmacopoeia  the  formula  for  the  infusion  of 
digitalis  will  remain  the  same  while  the  alcohol  in  the  tincture  will 
be  increased  to  60  per  cent,  and  the  fluidextract  to  70  per  cent.  It 
is  claimed  that  this  large  amount  of  alcohol  is  necessary  to  preserve 
the  preparation. 
I  regret  that  the  formula  for  the  infusion  will  remain  unchanged. 
It  is  now  made  with  boiling  water  and  10  per  cent,  of  alcohol  is 
added  after  straining.  For  what  purpose  is  the  alcohol  added  ?  The 
properly-prepared  infusion  without  alcohol  will  keep  long  enough  to 
be  taken,  and  for  a  longer  preservation  the  amount  of  alcohol  is 
inadequate.    The  alcohol  should  be  omitted  and  the  remark: 
"  To  be  freshly  prepared,  when  wanted  " 
added  to  the  formula.  As  it  stands  now,  the  presence  of  alcohol 
misleads  many  thoughtless  pharmacists  to  think  that  the  infusion 
may  be  kept  in  stock. 
Prolonged  medication  with  tincture  of  digitalis  often  produces 
nausea  and  other  untoward  effects.  It  is  stated  that  a  certain  fat 
or  fixed  oil  present  in  the  leaves  is  the  cause.  As  this  substance 
is  soluble  in  petroleum  benzin,  the  leaves  can  be  freed  from  it  by 
subjecting  them  to  the  action  of  benzin  before  making  the  tincture. 
The  general  verdict  of  the  medical  profession  is  in  favor  of  this 
fat-free  tincture,  although  Hatcher  and  others  deny  its  preference. 
According  to  Hatcher's  experiment,  isolated  fat  from  digitalis 
proved  harmless.  This  probably  is  true,  but  would  be  no  proof  that 
even  a  small  amount  of  this  fat  in  the  presence  of  various  alkaloids 
may  not  influence  their  action. 
As  to  the  source  of  the  best  leaves  of  foxglove  not  much  literature 
is  available.  It  is  stated  that  the  plant  grows  in  England,  Middle 
Europe,  and  also  in  America,  and  here  and  there  the  timid  state- 
