2l8 
Remarks  on  Digitalis. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1915. 
Consequently  these  laboratories  are,  as  a  rule,  constructed  by  large 
manufacturing  houses  who  employ  the  best  talent  that  they  can 
find.  It  is  natural  that  these  men  work  in  the  interest  of  the  firm 
that  employs  them  and  that  their  researches  always  confirm  the 
superiority  of  the  preparation  that  their  employers  prepare.  This  is 
no  adverse  criticism  of  their  activity.  The  commercial  houses  that 
go  to  the  expense  of  establishing  and  maintaining  such  laboratories 
try,  without  doubt,  to  produce  the  best  articles  in  every  line,  and 
as  each  and  every  digitalis  preparation  has  some  advantages  and 
characteristics  of  its  own,  it  is  but  natural  that  these  advantages 
are  exploited  in  preference  to  others.  But  science  gains  but  little 
by  these  efforts,  and  the  skepticism  that  many  entertain  in  reference 
to  biological  tests  is  justified.  This  became  evident  some  years  ago 
in  New  York,  when  the  representatives  of  a  large  German  manu- 
facturing house  undertook  a  crusade  against  the  sins  of  certain 
druggists,  as  stated,  in  reality,  however,  to  push  and  advertise  a 
certain  proprietary  article.  Numerous  prescriptions  were  written 
by  their  physicians  and  then  analyzed  by  chemists  of  repute,  and 
incidentally  a  result  was  obtained  that  was  not  looked  for.  Among 
the  prescriptions  were  a  number  for  tincture  of  digitalis.  The  dis- 
pensed articles  were  sent  to  a  biologist  of  good  name,  who  conducted 
the  physiological  laboratory  of  a  manufacturing  house.  He  tested 
them  secundum  art  em,  without  prejudice,  and  his  report  was  pub- 
lished. It  now  happened  that  some  of  the  samples  had  come  from 
his  own  house,  had  been  tested  by  him,  and  a  certificate  as  to  the 
strength  had  been  attached  to  the  containers.  In  his  report  he  de- 
clared some  of  these  same  tinctures  worthless,  others  too  strong. 
Guaranteed  assayed  tinctures  from  other  firms  shared  the  same 
fate.  No  greater  discredit  could  have  been  thrown  on  biological 
assaying  by  its  worst  enemy  than  by  these  careful,  conscientious 
examinations.  When  they  were  introduced  into  the  pharmacopoeia 
it  was  stated  that  they  were  needed  on  account  of  the  inadequacy  of 
the  chemical  test;  but,  far  from  solving  the  problem,  they  have  only 
added  to  the  confusion  and  uncertainty. 
Before  closing  I  wish  to  refer  again  to  Thorns'  Arbeiten  aus 
dem  Pharmaseutischen  Institut.  On  page  204  L.  Rosenthaler  is 
quoted  as  follows : 
"  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  plants  produce  some  of  their  con- 
stituents as  a  protective  weapon  against  vegetable  or  animal  at- 
tacks ;  but  as  their  enemies  do  not  always  have  the  same  geographical 
