DIGITALIS, dij1-15'lis (Lat. digitalis, per taining to the finger, from diyitus, finger: in allusion to the shape of flowers). _1 pint,: of plants of the natural order Scroldiularincece ILinn;), tribe Digitalefe, natives chiefly of the south of Europe and western and middle Asia, characterized by five-cleft calyx, campanulate, vent rieose corolla, upper lip reflexed. capsule t wo celled. dowers in showy racemes. One, the com mon foxglove (I)igitalis purpurf al. is a native f treat Britain, and is very abundant in some parts of the country. its large purple flowers giving a gay appearance to banks and steep hills. The purple-flowered. white-Ilowered, and yellow•flowered van' ties are cultivated in Am•rica. Digitalis inirmirea is much valued in medicine.. The leave: of the second year's growth are the parts used. They are narcotic and poi sonous. The leaves have a disagreeable smell when fresh and a bitter. nauseous taste. and are ‘iolently emetic and cathartic: but when dried and administered in small doses they are diu retic. and therefore sometimes useful in dropsy;
and are still more valuable on account of their pow, r over the action of the heart and the circu lation of the blood. and are used in some diseases of the heart, in the second stage of pneumonia. in cardiac weakness from eollapse, and as the antidote in anodic poisoning. Digitalis owes its efficiency to various alkaloids and other sub .-tames, some er3stalline. known as digitalin, digitoxin. digitonin. and digit in. 1)igi texin. probably. is the actively poisonous agent. Digitalin fulfills all the o Nees of digitalis in in fluencing the heart and the circulatory system, dings rits. But tit 4(11114 never given except by a physician. who can stand in which eases it i- applicable. in cases of heart disease it is fatal. In some cases it has a cumulative action with fatal results. The official preparations of digitalis arc a tinc ture. an infusion, a fluid extract, an abstract, a solid extract, and the powdered leaves.