Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-11-09
CURIOUS DRUG TESTS.
Physicians Often Try Them on Dogs
and Other Animals.

prescribed LOT patent, mas thus beer
led to suspect the strength OF the drus
on which he has relied. On the suppo-
sition that it possessed given purity
and Qaulity, he would specify such and
such an amount as a dose. But if ne
knew that the drug in question was OF
inferior quality, he would either in
crease the amount or use something
else. The honesty of the retail drug
gist who filed the prescription might
be entirely beyond doubt. Probably
he was imposed upon in making his
purchases from wholesale dealers
And until complaint was made by a
physician the druggist would remain
ignorant of the deficiencies of his
stock.
1t is to be assumed that when a ply
stefan indicates with care the precise
amount Of each of the different in
gradients that shall enter into a COM
pound which he wants his patient to
take, and then dictates the exact inter-
val at which the dose is to be admin
istered, the element Of mathematics
4id~o LII lAOu o1 1llpO1 loAI pal VI LIS
treatment of the case. And if the
strength OF any one Of the drugs used
should be only One-half or one-Quarter
as great as he anticipated, and had 4
right to anticipate, the result would
probably be disappointing. The life of
a patient, and perhaps the reputation
of the practitioner, might be lost
through lack Of sufficient virtue in the
means employed for overcoming dis
ease. Yet the person who was really
to blame, the jobber who had limo
Gently or knowingly sold inferior drugs
to the pharmacist who filled the pre-
scription, would not only escape pun
ishment, but also remain in ignorance
of the consequences of the transaction
For this and other reasons it is Gus
tomary with most of the houses which
manufacture drugs on a large scale for
the market to institute tests of purity
and strength for their own benefit.
They wish, before offering an article
for sale, to be assured as to its quail
ties. If a drug house were to sell in
ferior stuff frequently the fact would
soon become known in a general way,
even if each short-coming was not de-
tected. In the long run it's business
would suffer. For a manufacturing
concern that has a scrupulous regard
for it's own reputation, therefore, it is
necessary that tests be made Another
good reason for conducting such inves-
LEGATIONS is that the house might be
guided thereby in the choice of sources
from which it obtained its raw ma
terial.
The means employed for ascertain
ing the strength of a drug are usually
Of a chemical nature. Certain other
substances are added in carefully ad-
justed proportions and the reactions
which ensue reveal to the skillful
chemist the quality of the stuff under
examination.
A different and unique plan, how
ever, is pursued by one large house in
this country. 1t administers small
doses of the drugs to living beings and
watches the effect. If these substances
could be given to human subjects per-
haps the test would be more satisfac-
tory in some respects. But there are
obvious objections to such procedure
Few people would like to be expert
mented upon with drugs which are
poisonous. Hence it has occurred to
the firm which uses the new method
to try their stuff on the lower animals.
For instance, if digitalis is to be test
ed, it is tried on a frog. A small guam
tity having been administered, an in
strument which registers the action of
the heart is so attached to the frog
as to feel the creatures pulse This
machine is called kymograph. If the
frogs pulse is recorded both before
and after taking" it will be possible to
ascertain how much the digitalis has
stimulated the heart, if at all. If no
effect is observed it is safe to say that
the drug is worthless If certain
amount yields well-defined results it is
then possible to calculate the precise
strength of the drug. The waves in
the line traced by the kymograpn on a
moving strip of paper will show, by an
increase in frequency or height, any
eXtraneous influence at work on the
heart.
Hasheesh is usually tried on a dog.
If the drug is worthless, the dog re-
mains sober and active. But if it is
potent, it will tangle his feet for him
and paralyze him temporarily He
drops off into nap, and perhaps has
the same delightful visions which are
supposed to result from mans indul-
gence in Canabis Indica. A special de-
gree Of doubt attaches to this drug. A
product which possesses the desired
qualities is derived only from unferti-
LIED female blossoms Of the Indian
hemp. If fertilized female blossoms or
male blossoms be used, the effect is
not the same. A tincture may be OBJ
tanned which looks and tastes like The
genuine article, but unless it is made
from the right class of flowers it IS
valueless.
The test made for ergot is an odd
one. The drug is given to rooster,
but instead of being placed in his
stomach, it is injected into his comb
If it has the proper quality, it will dis
color the comb At first the hue pro-
duced is blue, but this eventually turns
to black if the drug is sufficiently pow
erful. The strength Of the sample is
estimated from the precise shade OF
color developed.
A dozen or more different animals
are thus utilized. One responds readily
to one drug, and another to another
The frogs employed are very small