2<5 



In 1935 Simmons obtained, from the excretions of the 

 maggots, a thermostable "bactericidal substance which would 

 kill such "bacteria as S taphylo co c cus aureus , hemolytic 

 streptococci, and Clostridium welchi . In the same year 

 Robinson (1935) isolated allantoin from maggot excretions. 



Allantoin occurs naturally in animal and plant tissues 

 as a metabolic product from the "break down of cell nuclei. 

 The amount of allantoin in the excretions of maggots is 

 too small and the process of extraction too involved to 

 "be practical (Robinson, 1937)- Other methods of preparing 

 the chemical were devised and it was soon generally avail- 

 able. Upon hydrolysis, one of the side chains of allan- 

 toin is split off and goes to form urea. Though, accord- 

 ing to Robinson (1937) > it has not been shown that the 

 effect of allantoin is due to this hydrolysis, it was 

 soon found that urea (also present in the excretions of 

 maggots) likewise has definite healing properties. Thus, 

 through the careful observation of maggots in human 

 wounds the healing properties of allantoin and urea were 

 rediscovered. 1 



-kl?he original but forgotten discovery of the healing 

 properties of allantoin was made by Macalister (1912). 



References 



Allen, T. C. and Riker, A. J. 1932 A rot of apple fruit 

 caused by Phytomonas melophthora , n. sp. , following in- 

 vasion of the apple maggot. Phytopath. 22, 557-571. 



Atkin, E. E. , and Bacot, A. 1917 The relation between 

 the hatching of the eggs and the development of the 

 larvae of Stegomyia fasciata ( Aedes calopus ) , and the 

 presence of bacteria and yeasts. Parasitol. , 9, ^82-536. 



Bacot, A. 1911 On the persistence of bacilli in the gut 

 of an insect during metamorphosis. Trans. Entomol. Soc. 

 London, ^97-500. 



Bacot, A. 191^ On the survival of bacteria in the ali- 

 mentary canal of fleas during metamorphosis from larva 

 to adult. J. Hyg. (Plague Supplement III), (Jan. Ik) 

 655-66>+. 



Bacot, A. 1916 Reports on questions connected with the 

 investigation of nonmalarial fevers in West Africa. 

 Yellow Fever Commission to West Africa. III. 1-191. 



Bacot, A. 1917 The effect of the presence of bacteria 

 or yeasts on the hatching of the eggs of Stegomyia 

 fasciata (the yellow fever mosquito). J. Royal Micro- 

 scop. Soc, Part I., 173-17^. 



