CAROTINOIDS IN THE VERTEBRATES 135 



demonstrated microehemically only in lliose species of animals in 

 which carotinoids normally occur, e.g., man, cow and fowl. The con- 

 clusion which they drew seems incontrovertible, namely, that the 

 chromolipoids of these tissues arc true carotinoids of exogenous origin, 

 the type of pigment being governed by the species of animal, i.e., by 

 the type of carotinoid resorbed. 



Lipochrome pigment is also present in other body tissue of man, 

 i.e., in the seminal vesicle (Maass, 1889) and in the epithelial muscle 

 cells (Akutsu, 1902) and in the heart, where Dolley and Guthric 

 (1921) have shown its carotinoid nature. Of interest is Akutsu's ob- 

 servation that the pigment is absent from these tissues in the case of 

 new born babies and young children, and begins to occur about the 

 age. of puberty. 



Skin. The skin of dairy cattle, especially that of the Jersey and 

 Guernsey breeds, is often characterized by a high yellow color, which 

 is often almost orange in hue. The wax in the ears of these animals 

 is also highly pigmented. The skin color is especially noticeable on 

 the udder, particularly the escutcheon. Using the ear wax as the 

 source of material, Palmer and Eckles (1914b) found the pigment to 

 be carotin, chiefly, with a little xanthophyll. 



Smith (1893) observed a yellow pigment in the "dandruff" of the 

 horse, which he regarded as modified chlorophyll. Inasmuch as he 

 observed a variation in the amount of this pigment with the food of 

 the animal the conclusion seems obvious that the pigment was carotin, 

 which characterizes the blood serum and adipose tissue of this species. 



Carotinoids may also color the human skin. Moro (1908), Kaup 

 (1919), Stollzner (1919), Klose (1919) and Hess and Myers (1919) 

 noted skin coloration in children after eating heavily of carrots. Most 

 of these writers associated the coloration with the carotin in the 

 carrots, but all of them, except Hess and Myers, regarded the phe- 

 nomenon as an abnormality. The latter, only, pictured the phenomenon 

 as an exaggeration of a normal condition and demonstrated the carotin 

 in the blood serum. They state that the feeding of oranges or eggs 

 to children may result in a similar skin coloration. Schussler (1919) 

 and Salomon (1919) have noted similar phenomena in adults'- the 

 entire body being affected in the cases cited by Scnussler. These were 



2 Hashimato (1922) states flint a yellow skin pigmentation of dietary origin was 

 described in the Japanese literature by Baelz as early as 1890 and called, "auruntia- 

 sis cntis." It is also pointed out that Miura (1917), a Japanese writer, ascril>ed Hie 

 pigmentation to carotin and used the term, "car<tino-is." I lashimain r<p,irt> :;.~i 

 cases among adults as the result of excessive eating of squash. 



