PAPINE
A Disguised Morphin Solution
To the thinking physician it should be evident that a preparation containing morphin must possess not only all of the valuable properties of this drug, but also all of the objectionable ones. There are still some physicians, apparently, who give credence to the assertions of the manufacturers concerning the morphin preparation from which, it is claimed, all of the undesirable morphin effects have been removed. The following query from a correspondent illustrates this fact:
“Will you inform me as to the contents of ‘Papine’? I have a case of chronic interstitial nephritis, and my consultant insists on giving this preparation. I asked him if he knew what drugs it contained and his answer was ‘one-eighth of a grain of morphin with the objectionable parts of the drug removed.’”
The query was referred to the Association Laboratory, which submitted the following report:
For many years Papine has been advertised by its makers, Battle & Company, St. Louis, as an anodyne. In the circulars Papine is described in part as follows:
“Papine represents in pharmaceutical form the purely anodyne principles of opium freed from the narcotic and tetanising constituents.”
“Papine is the anodyne or pain-relieving principle of opium, the narcotic and convulsive elements being eliminated. One fluid drachm is equal in anodyne power to one-eighth grain of morphin.”
“Through special methods of preparation, the anodyne and analgesic principles of Papaver somniferum are so extracted as to free them of the narcotic and convulsive elements that ever have been, and must ever continue to be serious objections to the use of opium and its common derivatives.... No demand is more regularly made on the physician than that for the relief of pain, and to be able to afford it promptly and completely, without the slightest deleterious action, is an advantage that cannot be overestimated.”
“Unlike most derivatives and preparations of opium, Papine neither nauseates nor constipates; nor does it inhibit the secretory functions of the body.”
“In conditions of extreme nervousness, especially in women, recourse to morphin is attended by the very real danger of the formation of a habit. Lastly, opium and its alkaloids must not be administered to persons whose kidneys are not in good working order on account of the risk of toxic accumulation.”
“No such restriction exists in respect of Papine, its action being exerted exclusively on the element pain; in other words, it is purely anodyne.”
“Papine does not nauseate, constipate nor create a habit.”
The Papine label before (on left) and after (on right) the passage of the Food and Drugs Act. And the exploiters of this morphin solution have the effrontery to claim that it does not create a habit!
From these statements the incautious physician might be led to infer that Papine is a preparation analogous or similar to the official tincture of deodorized opium. Formerly in the manufacture of the latter preparation, in addition to removal of the odorous substances, narcotin, then thought to be the principal convulsive alkaloid,[110] was also removed. By the process for the manufacture of this tincture, which is now official in the United States Pharmacopeia, most of the narcotine is found in the finished preparation. While it is a comparatively simple matter to remove the narcotin from opium and its preparations, thus eliminating most of the commonly reputed “convulsive elements,”[111] to remove the “narcotic elements” from opium would result in destroying the integrity of the product. The reasons for this are that morphin is the most powerful narcotic substance found in opium, and it is present in the largest proportion of any of the alkaloidal constituents. Its removal from an opium preparation would, therefore, render that preparation practically valueless.
From Papine, however, the morphin has not been removed, for since the passage of the Food and Drugs Act the label has to admit that Papine contains 1 grain of morphin in each ounce!
A specimen of Papine was examined and found to be nothing more than a simple aqueous-alcoholic solution of morphin, containing glycerin. The preparation is flavored to imitate cherry and colored with cochineal. With the exception of morphin, neither narcotin, codein nor other opianic alkaloids were found, while meconic acid, a characteristic constituent of opium, was absent. Since Papine is claimed not to cause constipation, and as is well known, this condition is frequently produced by morphin, it seemed possible that Papine might contain laxative substances. On examination, however, no cascara, rhubarb, phenolphthalein or laxative salts were found.
While Battle & Co. have persistently exploited Papine as being an opium preparation having none of the objectionable qualities of opium, the analysis shows that the paradoxical claims made for it cannot be substantiated. In prescribing morphin there is an abundance of official preparations to choose from, and there certainly is no necessity or excuse for resorting to the much more expensive and in no way superior Papine.—(From The Journal A. M. A., April 29, 1911.)
PASADYNE[AM]
A physician asks: “Can you tell me the formula of a preparation on the market called Pasadyne, put up by John B. Daniel, Atlanta, Georgia?”
According to the manufacturer Pasadyne is a tincture of passion-flower. Formerly this nostrum was sold under the title “Daniel’s Concentrated Tincture of Passiflora Incarnata.” While the manufacturer claims marvelous virtues for this preparation, made from “the fruit, roots and vines of the passion-flower or May-pop,” passiflora (passion flower) is now generally recognized as being of little if any value.
A circular makes the following absurd statement:
“Chloral and the bromids, before the recognition and advent into medicine of Pasadyne (Daniel’s Concentrated Tincture of Passiflora Incarnata), were widely employed in all turbulent states of the psyche and, notwithstanding their many untoward, even sometimes dangerous effects, were held in high favor by physicians. For that matter, they still retain some of their old-time popularity, but since the superior value of Pasadyne (Daniel’s Concentrated Tincture of Passiflora Incarnata) has been demonstrated to the profession’s satisfaction, the erstwhile high esteem in which chloral and the bromids were held, is fast waning and ere long Pasadyne will have crowded them out.”
The reasons why the drug passiflora was not deemed of sufficient value and hence, along with the Daniel preparation, was refused recognition, are given in a report of the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry.—(Abstracted from The Journal A. M. A., March 8, 1913.)