Digitalis Research in Berlin-Buch—Retrospective and Perspective Views

摘要

The following remarks consist partially of matter of fact, and purnally of opin-ion. The former will he permanent: the latter must van with the detetion of error, or the improvement of knowledge. I hazard them with diffidence, and hope they will he examined with can-dour." These declarations, which stem from the famous book "An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses" by physician Wilikam Withering in 1785 in which he introduced preparations from digitalis leaves in the therapy of drops)(cardiac failure), are cited here by the senior author because of his awareness of the difficulties in presenting a balanced report on his life-lor.g research project on the further development of digitalis. His decision to devote himself to digitalis research originated at, the bedside, when as a physician he experienced the grim final stages of cardiac failure in which nj real help for the patients is nossible. Unfortunately, his research project did not fit into the research, program decreed by theMinistry of Science of the German Democratic Republic, so that he was ordered to stop ihe digitalis project in favor of biomem-brane studies. Fortunately, he got round the ban simpiy by labeling the digitalis-like acting steroids as probes for ihe ceil membrane-located Na~+ /K~+-transporting ATPase which he had just recognized as the digitalis target (receptor) enzyme. These and other ventures by the authors are collated here for the first time The aim of this review is to foster straightforward research for solving a major challenge: the development of steroidal drugs for the prevention and cure of cardiac failure.