Chemical examination of elaterium and the characters of elaterin / by Frederick B. Power and Charles W. Moore.

  • Frederick Belding Power
Date:
[1909]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Chemical examination of elaterium and the characters of elaterin / by Frederick B. Power and Charles W. Moore. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    14/14 page 12
    elaterin now examined may thus be attributed to the vary- ing degrees of purification to which they have been sub- jected. With consideration of the results above noted, it is evident that 'the product designated as “ elaterin,” and officially recognised under that title, is so variable in character as to require the adoption of some standard of physiological activity before it can be considered suitable for medicinal use. If it were deemed desirable that such a product should be retained in the Pharmacopoeia, the only means, apparently, whereby its approximate uniformity could be en- sured and control!^ would be by the adoption of definite limits for its specific optical rotation. The dosage of a pro- duct conforming to such a standard could then be adjusted in accordance with the results obtained by physiological or clinical tests. An investigation of the constituents of the entire fresh fruits of Ecballium Elaterium is now in progress, the material for which has kindly been supplied to us by Messrs. W. Ransom and Son, of Hitchin. In conclusion, we desire to express our best thanks to Dr. H. H. Dale, Director of the Wellcome Physiological Research Laboratories, and to his associate Dr. P. P. Laidlaw, for conducting the physiological tests which the present investi- gation has involved. St. Clements Press, Ltd., Portugal Street, Kingsway, London, W.C.
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3