Foxglove
Digitalis purpurea (Common Foxglove)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Plantaginaceae[1]
Genus:	Digitalis L.
Species
Over 20 species, including: Digitalis canariensis Digitalis cariensis Digitalis ciliata Digitalis davisiana Digitalis dubia Digitalis ferruginea Digitalis grandiflora Digitalis isabelliana Digitalis laevigata Digitalis lanata Digitalis leucophaea Digitalis lutea Digitalis mariana Digitalis micrantha Digitalis obscura Digitalis parviflora Digitalis purpurea Digitalis sceptrum Digitalis thapsi Digitalis trojana Digitalis viridiflora

Digitalis ( /ˌdɪdʒɨˈteɪlɨs/^[2] or /ˌdɪdʒɨˈtælɨs/^[3]) is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and biennials that are commonly called foxgloves. This genus was traditionally placed in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae, but recent reviews of phylogenetic research have placed it in the much enlarged family Plantaginaceae.^[1] This genus is native to western and south western Europe,^[4] western and central Asia, and northwestern Africa. The scientific name means "finger-like" and refers to the ease with which a flower of Digitalis purpurea can be fitted over a human fingertip. The flowers are produced on a tall spike, are tubular, and vary in colour with species, from purple to pink, white, and yellow. The best-known species is the "Common Foxglove", Digitalis purpurea. This is a biennial plant which is often grown as an ornamental plant due to its vivid flowers. These range in colour from various purple tints through various shades of light gray, and to purely white. The flowers can also possess various marks and spottings.

The first year of growth of the Common Foxglove produces only the stem with its long, basal leaves. During the second year of the plant's life, a long leafy stem from 50 to 255 centimeters tall grows atop the roots of healthy plants.^[5][6]

The larvae of the insect the "Foxglove pug" consume the flowers of the Common Foxglove for food. Other species of Lepidoptera eat the leaves of the Common Foxglove, including Lesser Yellow Underwing.

The term digitalis is also used for drug preparations that contain cardiac glycosides, particularly one called digoxin, that are extracted from various plants of this genus.

Etymology[link]

There have been many suggestions for the derivation of the name "foxglove". According to the 19th century book, English Botany, Or, Coloured Figures of British Plants:

Dr. Prior, whose authority is great in the origin of popular names, says "It seems probably that the name was in the first place, foxes' glew, or music, in reference to the favourite instrument of an earlier time, a ring of bells hung on an arched support, the tintinnabulum"... we cannot quite agree with Dr. Prior for it seems quite probable that the shape of the flowers suggested the idea of a glove, and that associated with the name of the botanist Fuchs, who first gave it a botanical name, may have been easily corrupted into foxglove. It happens, moreover, the name foxglove is a very ancient one and exists in a list of plants as old as the time of Edward III. The "folks" of our ancestors were the fairies and nothing is more likely than that the pretty coloured bells of the plant would be designated "folksgloves," afterwards, "foxglove." In Wales it is declared to be a favourite lurking-place of the fairies, who are said to occasion a snapping sound when children, holding one end of the digitalis bell, suddenly strike the other on the hand to hear the clap of fairy thunder, with which the indignant fairy makes her escape from her injured retreat. In south of Scotland it is called "bloody fingers" more northward, "deadman's bells" whilst in Wales it is known as "fairy-folks-fingers" or "lambs-tongue-leaves".^[7]

Habitat[link]

Digitalis thrives in acidic soils, in partial sunlight to deep shade, in a range of habitats including open woods, woodland clearings, moorland, and heath margins, sea-cliffs, rocky mountain slopes and hedge banks.^[4][8] It is commonly found on sites where the ground has been disturbed, such as recently cleared woodland, or where the vegetation has been burnt.^[9]

Medicinal Therapeutics[link]

Medicinal Uses[link]

Cardiac[link]

A group of medicines extracted from foxglove plants are called Digitalin. The use of Digitalis purpurea extract containing cardiac glycosides for the treatment of heart conditions was first described in the English speaking medical literature by William Withering, in 1785,^[10] which is considered the beginning of modern therapeutics.^[11][12]It is used to increase cardiac contractility (it is a positive inotrope) and as an antiarrhythmic agent to control the heart rate, particularly in the irregular (and often fast) atrial fibrillation. Digitalis is hence often prescribed for patients in atrial fibrillation, especially if they have been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Digoxin was approved for heart failure in 1998 under current regulations by the Food and Drug Administration on the basis of prospective randomized study and clinical trials. It was also approved for the control of ventricular response rate for patients with atrial fibrillation. Recent American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines recommend digoxin for symptomatic chronic heart failure for patients with reduced systolic function, preservation of systolic function, and/or rate control for atrial fibrillation with a rapid ventricular response. Recent Heart Failure Society of America guidelines for heart failure provide similar recommendations. Despite its relatively recent approval by the Food and Drug Administration and the guideline recommendations, digoxin use is decreasing in patients with heart failure. This is likely the result of several factors. Digoxin has not been promoted by the pharmaceutical industry and has received little attention at national and international meetings, possibly the result of the development and promotion of other, newly patented therapies for heart failure. Also, safety concerns about digoxin therapy–increased mortality in women also may have contributed to this decrease in its use.

Variations[link]

A group of pharmacologically active compounds are extracted mostly from the leaves of the second year's growth, and in pure form are referred to by common chemical names such as digitoxin or digoxin, or by brand names such as Crystodigin and Lanoxin, respectively. The two drugs differ in that Digoxin has an additional hydroxyl group at the C-3 position on the B-ring (adjacent to the pentane). Both molecules include a lactone and a triple-repeating sugar called a glycoside.

Mechanism of Action[link]

Digitalis works by inhibiting sodium-potassium ATPase. This results in an increased intracellular concentration of sodium ion and thus a decreased concentration gradient across the cell membrane. This increase in intracellular sodium makes the actions of the Na/Ca exchange pump unfavorable, thereby decreasing sodium influx and calcium efflux via this pump. This gradient-induced inhibition results in a higher cytoplasmic Calcium concentration. The increased cytosolic calcium ion concentration results in increased calcium ion storage in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Upon action potential (cardiac contraction) more calcium is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and this gives a positive inotropic effect (higher contractility). Digitalis also has a vagal effect on the parasympathetic nervous system, and as such is used in reentrant cardiac arrhythmias and to slow the ventricular rate during atrial fibrillation. The dependence on the vagal effect means that digitalis is not effective when a patient has a high sympathetic nervous system drive, which is the case with acutely ill persons, and also during exercise.

Medicinal Toxicity[link]

Digitalis toxicity (Digitalis intoxication) results from an overdose of digitalis and causes anorexia, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, as well as sometimes resulting in xanthopsia (jaundiced or yellow vision) and the appearance of blurred outlines (halos). Bradycardia also occurs. Because a frequent side effect of digitalis is reduction of appetite, some individuals have used the drug as a weight loss aid.

Digitalis is an example of a drug that is derived from a plant that was formerly used by folklorists and herbalists: herbalists have largely abandoned its use because of its narrow therapeutic index and the difficulty of determining the amount of active drug in herbal preparations. Once the usefulness of digitalis in regulating the human pulse was understood, it was employed for a variety of purposes, including the treatment of epilepsy and other seizure disorders, which are now considered to be inappropriate treatments.

Toxicity[link]

Digitalis purpurea drawings by Franz Köhler

Depending on the species, the digitalis plant may contain several deadly physiological and chemically related cardiac and steroidal glycosides. Thus, the digitalis has earned several more sinister names: Dead Man’s Bells, and Witches’ Gloves.

The entire plant is toxic (including the roots and seeds), although the leaves of the upper stem are particularly potent, with just a nibble being enough to potentially cause death.^[13] Early symptoms of ingestion include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, wild hallucinations, delirium, and severe headache. Depending on the severity of the toxicosis the victim may later suffer irregular and slow pulse, tremors, various cerebral disturbances, especially of a visual nature (unusual colour visions with objects appearing yellowish to green, and blue halos around lights), convulsions, and deadly disturbances of the heart. For a case description, see the paper by Lacassie.^[14]

There have been instances of people confusing digitalis with the relatively harmless Symphytum (comfrey) plant (which is often brewed into a tea) with fatal consequences. Other fatal accidents involve children drinking the water in a vase containing digitalis plants. Drying does not reduce the toxicity of the plant. The plant is toxic to animals including all classes of livestock and poultry, as well as felines and canines.

Digitalis poisoning can cause heart block and either bradycardia (decreased heart rate) or tachycardia (increased heart rate), depending on the dose and the condition of one's heart. It should however be noted, that electric cardioversion (to "shock" the heart) is generally not indicated in ventricular fibrillation in digitalis toxicity, as it can increase the dysrhythmia in digitalis toxicity.^{[citation needed]} Also, the classic drug of choice for VF (ventricular fibrillation) in emergency setting,^[15] amiodarone, can worsen the dysrhythmia caused by digitalis, therefore, the second-choice drug Lidocaine is more commonly used.^{[citation needed]}

Digoxigenin[link]

Digoxigenin (DIG) is a steroid found exclusively in the flowers and leaves of the plants Digitalis purpurea and Digitalis lanata. It is used as a molecular probe to detect DNA or RNA. It can easily be attached to nucleotides by chemical modifications. DIG molecules are often linked to uridine nucleotides; DIG labelled uridine (DIG-U) can then be incorporated into RNA probes via in vitro transcription. Once hybridisation occurs in situ, RNA probes with the incorporated DIG-U can be detected with anti-DIG antibodies that are conjugated to alkaline phosphatase. To reveal the hybridised transcripts, alkaline phosphatase can be reacted with a chromogen to produce a colour precipitate.

Digitalis lutea

See also[link]

• List of plants poisonous to equines

Footnotes[link]

References[link]

• Richard B. Silverman, The Organic Chemistry of Drug Design and Drug Action.
• Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Digitalis

Look up digitalis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• "Digitalis". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=DIGIT. 
• Flora Europaea: Digitalis species list
• Molecule of the Month - Digitalis
• eMedicine link
• Grecian Foxglove USDA Noxious Weed List.
• Purple Foxglove USDA Noxious Weed List.
•  "Digitalis". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911. 
•  "Foxglove". Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921. 

Frederick John Perry

Country	Great Britain
Born	(1909-05-18)18 May 1909 Stockport, Cheshire, England
Died	2 February 1995(1995-02-02) (aged 85) Melbourne, Australia
Turned pro	1937
Retired	1956
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HOF	1975 (member page)
Singles
Career record	106–12
Highest ranking	No. 1 (1934)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	W (1934)
French Open	W (1935)
Wimbledon	W (1934, 1935, 1936)
US Open	W (1933, 1934, 1936)
Doubles
Career record	18-4
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	W (1934)
French Open	W (1933)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
French Open	W (1932)
Wimbledon	W (1935, 1936)
US Open	W (1932)
Last updated on: 25 September 2010.

Fred Perry
Full name	PERRY Frederick John
Nationality	England
Medal record Men's table tennis Competitor for  England World Championships Gold 1929 Budapest Singles Bronze 1929 Budapest Doubles Bronze 1929 Budapest Team Silver 1928 Stockholm Doubles Bronze 1928 Stockholm Mixed Doubles Bronze 1928 Stockholm Team

Frederick John Perry (18 May 1909 – 2 February 1995) was a championship-winning English tennis and table tennis player who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slams and two Pro Slams. Perry won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships between 1934 and 1936 and was World No. 1 four years in a row. Perry also became the last British player to win the men's Wimbledon championship in 1936.^[1]

Perry was the first player to win all four Grand Slam singles titles (though not all in the same year) and completed this "Career Grand Slam" at the age of 26.^[2] Although Perry began his tennis career aged 18, he was also a Table Tennis World Champion in 1929.^[3]

In 1933, Perry helped lead the Great Britain team to victory over France in the Davis Cup; the team's first success since 1912, followed by wins over the United States in 1934, 1935, and a fourth consecutive title with victory over Australia in 1936.^[2]

Perry was acclaimed across the tennis world, but was not universally admired in his homeland, and was widely ostracised by the tennis establishment for turning professional after completing a hat-trick of Wimbledon singles triumphs.^[1][4] After becoming disillusioned with the class-conscious nature of the Lawn Tennis Club of Great Britain, the working-class Perry moved to the United States before becoming a naturalised US citizen in 1938. In 1942, he was drafted into the US Air Force during the Second World War.^[5]

Despite his unprecedented contribution to British tennis, Perry was not accorded full recognition by tennis authorities until his twilight years.^[1] In 1984, a statue of Perry was unveiled at Wimbledon, and in the same year Perry became the only tennis player listed in a survey of 2,000 Britons to find the ‘Best of the Best’ British sportsmen of the 20th century.^[4]

It's not well known, but Fred Perry was also the Tennis Table World Champion in 1929^[6], being the only player in history to have won at least one Major tournament in both tennis and ping-pong.

Early life[link]

The house where Fred Perry was born in Stockport, Cheshire.

Perry was born in Stockport, Cheshire in 1909 where his father, Samuel Perry (1877–1954), was a cotton spinner. For the first decade of his life, he also lived in Bolton and Wallasey because his father was involved in local politics. Perry moved to Ealing in London aged nine when his father became the national secretary of the Co-operative Party after World War I. His father became the Co-operative Party Member of Parliament for Kettering in 1929.

Perry first began to play tennis on the public courts near his family's housing estate. He was educated at Ealing Grammar School for Boys.

Amateur status[link]

In 1928-29, Perry won several medals in the single, double, and team events in the World Table Tennis Championships.^[7] He had exceptional speed and played with the Shakehand style, attacking the ball low and on the rise.

Along with the US, French and Australian Open, Perry won the Wimbledon men's title three times in succession between 1934 and 1936. His final triumph was a 6-1, 6-1, 6-0 victory over the German Baron Gottfried von Cramm which lasted less less than 45 minutes. It became the quickest final in the 20th century and the second shortest of all time.

Perry's success attracted the adoration of the crowds at Wimbledon particularly as he contrasted sharply from the privileged background of most patrons and players associated with the All England Club at that time.

In the Davis Cup, Perry led the Great Britain team to four consecutive victories between 1933-1936, with wins over France in 1933, the United States in 1934 and 1935, and Australia in 1936. Perry competed in a total of 20 Davis Cup matches, winning 34 of his 38 rubbers in singles, and 11 out of 14 in doubles.^[2]

Professional career[link]

After three years as the world No. 1 tennis amateur player, Perry turned professional in 1937. This led to him being virtually ostracised by the British tennis establishment. For the next two years he played lengthy tours against the powerful American player Elly Vines. In 1937 they played 61 matches in the United States, with Vines winning 32 and Perry 29. They then sailed to England, where they played a brief tour. Perry won six matches out of nine, so they finished the year tied at 35 victories each. Most observers at the time considered Perry to be the world No. 1 for the fourth year in a row, sharing the title, however, with both Vines and the amateur Don Budge. The following year, 1938, the tour was even longer, and this time Vines beat Perry 49 matches to 35. Budge, winner of the amateur Grand Slam, was clearly the World No. 1 player. In 1939 Budge turned professional and played a series of matches against both Vines and Perry, beating Vines 22 times to 17 and Perry by 28 victories to 8.^[8][9][10]

Personal life[link]

Perry opened the Riddlesdown Lawn Tennis Club in 1935 with an exhibition match.

Perry was one of the leading bachelors of the 1930s and his off-court romances were sensationalised in the world press. Perry had a romantic relationship with the actress Marlene Dietrich and in 1934 he announced his engagement to the British actress Mary Lawson, but the relationship fell apart after Perry relocated to America. In 1935 he married an American film star Helen Vinson, but their marriage ended in divorce in 1940. In the meanwhile, Perry had abandoned his British nationality and become an American citizen. In 1941 he was briefly married to a model, Sandra Breaux, but then, in 1945, he married Lorraine Walsh, but the marriage ended quickly. Perry's final marriage to Barbara Riese in 1952 lasted forty years, until his death.^[11] They had two children Penny and David. The sister of Barbara (Bobby) Riese was the actress Patricia Roc.

Perry had one sister, Sylvia, and has a great-nephew and great-niece, Daniel and Laura Nightingale.^[12] Perry died in hospital in Melbourne, Australia after breaking ribs following a fall in a hotel bathroom.

Sporting legacy[link]

Perry is considered by some to have been one of the greatest male players to have ever played the game. In his 1979 autobiography Jack Kramer, the long-time tennis promoter and great player himself, called Perry one of the six greatest players of all time.^[13]

Kings of the Court, a video-tape documentary made in 1997 in conjunction with the International Tennis Hall of Fame, named Perry one of the ten greatest players of all time. But this documentary only considered those players who played before the Open era of tennis that began in 1968, with the exception of Rod Laver, who spanned both eras, so that all of the more recent great players are missing.

Kramer, however, had several caveats about Perry. He says that Bill Tilden once called Perry "the world's worst good player". Kramer says that Perry was "extremely fast; he had a hard body with sharp reflexes, and he could hit a forehand with a snap, slamming it on the rise—and even on the fastest grass. That shot was nearly as good as Segura's two-handed forehand." His only real weakness, says Kramer, "was his backhand. Perry hit underslice off that wing about 90 percent of the time, and eventually at the very top levels—against Vines and Budge—that was what did him in. Whenever an opponent would make an especially good shot, Perry would cry out 'Very clevah.' I never played Fred competitively, but I heard enough from other guys that 'Very clevah' drove a lot of opponents crazy."

Kramer also says that in spite of his many victories, both as an amateur and as a professional, Perry was an "opportunist, a selfish and egotistical person, and he never gave a damn about professional tennis. He was through as a player the instant he turned pro. He was a great champion, and he could have helped tennis, but it wasn't in his interest so he didn't bother." Kramer then recounts several instances in which it was clear to him that Perry was losing matches in which he had given up because he "wanted to make sure that the crowd understood that this was all beneath him."

Perry, however, recalled his days on the professional tour differently. He maintained that "there was never any easing up in his tour matches with Ellsworth Vines and Bill Tilden since there was the title of World Pro Champion at stake." He said "I must have played Vines in something like 350 matches, yet there was never any fixing as most people thought. There were always people willing to believe that our pro matches weren't strictly on the level, that they were just exhibitions. But as far as we were concerned, we always gave everything we had."^[14]

A final comment from Kramer is that Perry unwittingly "screwed up men's tennis in England, although this wasn't his fault. The way he could hit a forehand—snap it off like a ping-pong shot—Perry was a physical freak. Nobody else could be taught to hit a shot that way. But the kids over there copied Perry's style, and it ruined them. Even after Perry faded out of the picture, the coaches there must have kept using him as a model."

Clothing label[link]

A statue of Fred Perry at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon.

In the late 1940s, Perry was approached by Tibby Wegner, an Austrian footballer who had invented an anti-perspirant device worn around the wrist. Perry made a few changes to create the first sweatband.

Wegner's next idea was to produce a sports shirt, which was to be made from white knitted cotton pique with short sleeves and a buttoned placket like René Lacoste's shirts. Launched at Wimbledon in 1952, the Fred Perry tennis shirt was an immediate success.

The white polo shirt was only supplemented in the late 50s when mods began demanding more varied colour palettes. The Fred Perry shirt became the garment-of-choice for diverse groups of teenagers throughout the 1960s and 70s, ranging from the skinheads to the Northern soul scene.

The brand's logo is a laurel wreath. It was based on the original symbol for Wimbledon. The logo, which appears on the left breast of a garment, is stitched into the fabric of the shirt.^[15]

The brand is now owned by a Japanese corporation,^[16] The brand was previously the clothing sponsor of British tennis player Andy Murray.

Memorials[link]

Wimbledon[link]

A bronze statue of Fred Perry was erected at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London in 1984 to mark the 50th anniversary of his first singles championship. It is located at the Church Road gate.

Fred Perry Way[link]

The Fred Perry Way is a designated walking route through the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport which opened in September 2002. The 14 miles (23 km) route from Woodford in the south to Reddish in the north, combines rural footpaths, quiet lanes and river valleys with urban landscapes and parklands. Features along the route include Houldsworth Mill and Square, the start of the River Mersey at the confluence of the River Tame and River Goyt, Stockport Town Centre, Vernon and Woodbank Parks and the Happy Valley. The route also passes through Woodbank Park where Perry played some exhibition tennis matches.

Fred Perry House[link]

A Blue Plaque at the house where Fred Perry was born in Stockport, Cheshire.

The Fred Perry House in Stockport was opened by Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex and John Perry, Fred Perry's grandson in November 2010. The building, which is the borough's new civic headquarters, will be used by various local government agencies.^[17]

World[link]

Perry was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1975. Perry also has a street named after him in El Paso, Texas.

World Table Tennis Championships[link]

Gold:1; Silver 1; Bronze 4

• 1928 Stockholm: Silver Doubles; Bronze Mixed Doubles; Bronze Team.
• 1929 Budapest: Gold Singles; Bronze Doubles; Bronze Team.

Tennis Grand Slams[link]

Singles[link]

Finals:8 titles

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1933	U.S. Championships	Jack Crawford	6–3, 11–13, 4–6, 6–0, 6–1
1934	Australian Championships	Jack Crawford	6–3, 7–5, 6–1
1934	Wimbledon Championships	Jack Crawford	6–3, 6–0, 7–5
1934	U.S. Championships (2)	Wilmer Allison	6–4, 6–3, 3–6, 1–6, 8–6
1935	French Championships	Gottfried von Cramm	6–3, 3–6, 6–1, 6–3
1935	Wimbledon Championships (2)	Gottfried von Cramm	6–2, 6–4, 6–4
1936	Wimbledon Championships (3)	Gottfried von Cramm	6–1, 6–1, 6–0
1936	U.S. Championships (3)	Don Budge	2–6, 6–2, 8–6, 1–6, 10–8

Finals:2 runners up

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1935	Australian Championships	Jack Crawford	6–2, 4–6, 4–6, 4–6
1936	French Championships	Gottfried von Cramm	0–6, 6–2, 2–6, 6–2, 0–6

Doubles[link]

• Australian Open (1934)
• French Open (1936)

Mixed doubles[link]

• French Open (1932)
• Wimbledon (1935, 1936)
• US Open (1932)

Pro Slam Singles[link]

• US Pro Championships (1938, 1941)

Performance timeline[link]

Fred Perry joined professional tennis in 1937 and was unable to compete in the Grand Slams tournaments.

See also[link]

• List of male tennis players
• List of World Table Tennis Champions
• Fred Perry Grand Slam record

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• The History of Professional Tennis (2003), Joe McCauley

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Fred Perry

• International Tennis Hall of Fame
• Official Wimbledon website profile
• Fred Perry Official website
• Fred Perry Way route map
• Fred Perry record