The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 2 of 2Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry (American Medical Association)
Science
The Propaganda for Reform in Proprietary Medicines, Vol. 2 of 2
Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry (American Medical Association)
Patent medicines
In a similar test I used 2 gm. of Lactopeptine No. 3, made up to
100 c.c. with 1.2 c.c. of normal alkali. Ten and 15 c.c. portions were
incubated with 50 c.c. of 1 per cent. starch paste through twenty hours
at 40 degrees with no apparent result. The Holadin then added, 5 mg.
being used, completed the conversion in less than ten minutes.
This shows that the medium was a proper one for the test and that the
Lactopeptine must be extremely weak. No sugar tests were made because
the Lactopeptine contains milk sugar to the extent of about 60 per cent.
Similar results for both protein and starch digestives have been
obtained in a large number of experiments. These here quoted show
that the ferment activity of the preparation is so low as to merit no
recognition practically. The digestion of a few milligrams of fibrin or
starch after many hours of contact, while being perhaps scientifically
possible, is of no value when we come to a consideration of the use of
such bodies as digestive ferments in medicine.
The amount of lactic acid or “loosely combined HCl” present in
Lactopeptine is very small, since the total acid which may be titrated
by sodium hydroxid and phenolphthalein is measured by 0.5 c.c. of
the normal hydroxid for 1 gm. of the Lactopeptine powder, in the
mean. In different samples examined the range was found to be from
0.41 c.c. to 0.6 c.c. Tests with methyl orange, methyl red and other
indicators showed that the free acidity is but trifling; if the whole
of this acid, as measured by phenolphthalein, were calculated to HCl,
the amount would be too small to have any appreciable physiologic
activity, in view of the daily dose recommended, 10 to 20 grains of the
powder.
Report of Referee B
The following table gives a summary of the results of my investigations
on Lactopeptine. The numbers in the extreme left-hand column are the
manufacturer’s identifying marks. These, it is assumed, run serially,
the higher numbers indicating fresher specimens.
TABLE SHOWING ENZYMIC POWER OF LACTOPEPTINE PREPARATIONS
Amylase Pepsin Rennin Trypsin Lipase
2275 - + + - -
2301 - + + - -
2312 - + + - -
2348 - + + - -
2352 - + + - -
2364 - + + +(?) -
2374 - + + - +(?)
2383 - + + + +(?)
1638 (tablets) - + + - -
Pancreatin (Old) - .. .. ++ -
The conclusions in the foregoing summary depend on the following
criteria:
_Amylase_: removal of starch (paste), _small in proportion to begin
with_.
_Pepsin_: solution of small shreds of _fresh_ fibrin in acid media.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account