Ptomaïnes and leucomaïnes, and bacterial proteids, or the chemical factors in the causation of disease / By Victor C. Vaughan ... and Frederick G. Novy.

  • Victor Clarence Vaughan
Date:
1891
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Ptomaïnes and leucomaïnes, and bacterial proteids, or the chemical factors in the causation of disease / By Victor C. Vaughan ... and Frederick G. Novy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.

    38/401 (page 34)
    the formula C10H15N. This substance will be discussed in a future chapter. From fresh brain substance they separated ammonia, trimethylainine, and an undetermined base. These, how- ever, are not to be regarded as products of putrefaction, but as resulting from the action of the reagents upon the brain substance. The trimethylamine probably arises from the splitting up of lecithin, while the undetermined base is most likely choline, which also results from the breaking up of the lecithin molecule. They also show that when Dragendorff's method is used basic substances can be obtained from fresh meat, and these are shown to be produced by the action of the sul- phuric acid on the flesh. To Brieger, of Berlin, is due the credit of isolating and determining the composition of a number of ptomaines. From putrid flesh he obtained neuridine, C5H14lSr2, and neurine, C5H13NO. The former is inert, while the latter is poisonous. From decomposed fish he separated a poisonous base, C2H4 (NH2)2, which is an isomeride of ethylenediamine, muscarine, C5H15N03, and an inert substance, C7H17N02, gadinine. Rotten cheese yielded neuridine and trimethyla- mine. Decomposed glue gave neuridine, dimethylamine, and a musearine-like base. In the cadaver, he has found in different stages of decomposition, choline, neuridine, tri- methylamine, cadaverine, C5H14N2, putrescine, C4H12N2, and saprine, C5H16N2. These are all inert. After fourteen days of decomposition he found a poisonous substance, mydaleine. From a cadaver which had been kept at from — 9° to + 5° for four months, Brieger obtained mydine, C8HuNO, the poisonous substance mydatoxine, C6H13]Sr02, also the poison methyl-guanidine. From poisonous mussel he separated mytilotoxine, C6H15N02. From pure cultures of the typhoid bacillus of Koch and Eberth, Brieger obtained a poison, typhotoxine, and, from like cultures of the tetanus germ of Rosenbach, tetanine. All of these bases will be discussed in detail in a subsequent chapter.