This paperback monograph reproduces the authors' review articles on digitalis published in the American Heart Journal from September 1966 through June 1967. The ten chapters summarize current knowledge of digitalis action, metabolism, chemistry, indications, dosage, and toxicity. The brevity of each discussion is evident from the total number of pages, and the serious student will be obliged to pursue further reading from the references, which in general are current.
Few commonly used drugs have as narrow a therapeutic to toxic ratio as the digitalis compounds, and knowledge of the information summarized in this review is obligatory for any physician treating patients with these agents. The authors' exhortation in behalf of the use of the purified glycosides, standardized by weight, is strongly indorsed by this reviewer.