CAROTIXOIDS IN THE VERTEBRATES 133 



pigment to be chiefly carotin, with some admixed xanthophylls. In 

 the ease of the adipose tissue of the horse van den Bergh, Muller and 

 Broekmeyer (1920) found carotin exclusively. The latter investigators 

 have made the only examination of human adipose tissue. Varying 

 amounts of pigment and varying proportions of carotin and xantho- 

 phyll were found in numerous specimens obtained on autopsy of indi- 

 viduals dead of various disorders. In most cases carotin was somewhat 

 in excess of xanthophyll. Of interest in this connection is the obser- 

 vation of Krukenberg and Wagner (1885) of a yellow lipochroine in 

 human bone marrow. The position of the spectroscopic absorption 

 bands of the pigment which are shown in a drawing by these authors 

 resembles xanthophyll rather than carotin inasmuch as the maximum 

 absorption of the first band is on the violet side of the F line, while 

 the maximum absorption of carotin, as we now know, is at the F line. 



Internal organs. As van den Bergh, Muller and Broekmeyer (1920) 

 have shown in their extensive study of carotinoids in the human and 

 animal body, certain of the internal organs of mammals appear to have 

 an elective affinity for carotinoids which is greater than can be ex- 

 plained by their fat content. Krukenberg (1885b) first called atten- 

 tion to the presence of lipochrome in human and animal adrenals, at 

 times in high concentration in the human glands. He described its 

 extraction with hot alcohol, its absorption bands resembling those of 

 the lipochrome of cattle serum, and the color reactions with con. 

 H 2 SO 4 and HN0 3 . This was confirmed for the human adrenals by 

 Lubarsch (1902), Sehrt (1904) and Hueck (1912). Sehrt concluded 

 that the lipochrome was different from the plant lipochromes (caro- 

 tinoids). Findlay (1920) and also van den Bergh, Muller and Broek- 

 meyer (1920) have examined the pigment of human adrenals from the 

 standpoint of carotinoid properties. Both carotin and xanthophylls 

 were demonstrated, the latter authors reporting data for a large number 

 of cases. The technic of Findlay is to be criticized, however, in that 

 he drew his conclusion regarding both types of carotinoids being 

 present by applying the phase test for the carotinoids directly to the 

 issues. In other words, he regarded pigments which did not readily 

 dissolve out of the tissue with petroleum ether as xanthophyll, while 

 that which was extracted by this solvent he regarded as carotin. It 

 is doubtful whether the phase test can be applied except to solutions 

 of the carotinoids. 



Van den Bergh, Muller and Broekmeyer examined the suprarenals 

 of the horse, guinea pig, cat, dog, and swine for carotinoids. They 



