M E D I c A L H I S T 0 R Y repeats itself. Once again the physicians’ desire for safe but effective pharmaceuticals has led to the widespread use and misuse of a new drug. This time it is sparteine sulfate. This compound, isolated in 1851, was not used as an oxytocic until 1939.13 Since then, sparteine sulfate has been a popular oxytocic in European countries. The pharmacology and use of this drug abroad were reviewed by Gray and Plentl,13 in 1958. This article introduced sparteine sulfate into American obstetrical literature. Three years later, Plentl, Friedman, and GrayI described their experience with sparteine sulfate in a series of 1,208 patients, the first review of its type in the western hemisphere. Additional reports, 2ol 21t 23 in 1962 and 1963, increased to over 1,700 the number of obstetrical patients treated with sparteine sulfate in this country. These analyses and others13* 25 suggested that sparteine sulfate was such a safe drug that it could be given without the constant attendance of the obstetrician, thus giving it a great advantage over oxytocin. This assumption has been found to be false, after thorough testing by American obstetricians in large clinics and small practices. Since 1963, report& 4, I43 I’ of the