To the Editor: Popular and medical literature,
such as the article by Dr. Eisenberg and colleagues,1
on use of alternative medicine and herbal remedies triggered memories of our
student days in 1942-1945 when we were assailed by extensive discussions of
the merits of various digitalis preparations. Methods of standardization were
most important when evaluating which preparation to prescribe. Especially
treacherous were the preparations labeled "Digitalis USP XI," which were about
twice as potent as those labeled "Digitalis USP X."2