II. — Elastin and the Elastose Bodies. By R. H. Chittenden 

 AND Horace S. Hart, B.A., Ph.B. 



Elastin, the basis of the so-called elastic tissue, has generally been 

 considered one of the most indigestible of the albuminoid substances. 

 In fact, the older writers looked on it as almost insoluble in the 

 digestive juices. Recently, however, the experiments of Etzinger,* 

 Horbaczewskijf and Morochowetz,J have shown that both the ligamen- 

 turn nucliOi of the ox when finely divided, and purified elastin when 

 powdered, are fairly soluble both in pepsin-hydrochloric acid and in 

 natural gastric juice, as Horbaczewski's observations on a man with 

 stomach fistula have fully indicated. 



It has been our object, therefore, to study somewhat in detail the 

 primary cleavage products of elastin, so far as they may be formed? 

 making use of the methods§ which have yielded such fruitful results 

 with many of the proteid bodies. 



Preparation of Elastin. 



As usually described, elastin is a body free from sulphur, insoluble 

 in water even after several days boiling, likewise in cold dilute alkali, 

 acetic acid, dilute hydrochloric acid, alcohol, and ether. Naturally, 

 therefore, the method of preparing such an insoluble body has con- 

 sisted in removing from a tissue rich in elastin, all extraneous sub- 

 stances by successive treatment with the above-mentioned reagents. 

 In fact, so vigorous is the method of treatment, as usually described, 

 that it appears almost questionable whether a body belonging to a 

 group noted for ease of decomposition might not sufi'er some change 

 in such a long process of preparation. 



We have employed two methods, the first one of which is practi- 

 cally identical with that followed by Horbaczewski. The neck bands 

 of a number of recently killed oxen were thoroughly freed from all 

 adhering fat and muscle and then chopped quite fine ; they weighed 



* Zeitschrift fiir Biologie, Band x, p. 84. 



f Ueber das Verhalteu des elastins bei der Pepsinverdauung, Zeitschrift fiir physiol- 

 ogische chemie, Band vi, p. 330. 



\ Verdauiingsgesetze, Abstract in Jahresbericht fiir Thierchemie, 1886, p. 271. 



§ Kiihiie and Chittenden, Zeitschrift fiir Biologie, Band xx, xxii; also Studies from 

 Laboratory of Physiological Chem. Yale University, vol. ii. 



