462 APPENDIX. 



the precipitate in potash, and throwing down the uric acid by 

 hydrochlorate of ammonia. 



This substance has been found by Gerhard* (one of Scherer's 

 pupils) in the blood of the ox, and by Schererf himself in larger 

 quantity in the blood in leucaemia. 



We must know more about the occurrence of hypoxanthine, 

 and its chemical constitution must be further studied, before we can 

 venture to form a judgment, or even to offer an opinion, regarding 

 its physiological value. 



[We may take this opportunity of mentioning that Scherer,J 

 has also found another body in the fluid of the spleen, to which he 

 has given the name of lienine ; it is crystalline, and according to 

 Scherer^s analysis contains no sulphur, but consists of C 53*71 , 

 H 8*95, N 4-82, and O 32'52 G. E. D.] 



(17) Note to p. 181, line 6. QStrecker has recently succeeded 

 in forming taurine artificially from isethionate of ammonia, N H 4 O. 

 C 4 H 5 O. 2SO 3 , which = C 4 H 7 NO 6 S 2 + 2 HO, and therefore 

 only differs from taurine by two equivalents of water. This salt 

 fuses at 120C without disengaging ammonia, and Scherer hoped 

 that at a still higher temperature it would lose water. He first 

 found that taurine might be heated to 240 C without decom- 

 position or fusion ; and he then heated isethionate of ammonia to 

 236 C, and kept it at this temperature till it had lost 11 of 

 weight. The mass was dissolved in water; on the addition of 

 alcohol it was precipitated in crystals ; this precipitate, dissolved in 

 water, furnished by spontaneous evaporation large crystals exactly 

 identical with the crystals of taurine obtained from bile. Like 

 taurine, they bear exposure to 240 without fusing or acquiring 

 colour ; they evolve no ammonia with a solution of potash ; they 

 do not precipitate the salts of baryta when boiled with nitric or 

 nitro-muriatic acid; when fused with potash and nitrate of potash, 

 they evolve ammonia, and the mass contains sulphuric acid. All 

 these properties being the same as those of taurine, and its mode of 

 formation proving that its composition is similar, this product is 

 identical with the taurine of the bile. G. E. D.] 



(18) Addition top. 196, line 2 from bottom. It has been already 



* Verb. d. phys.-med. Ges. zu Wurzburg. Bd. 2, S. 299. 



t Ibid. p. 323. 



$ Ibid. p. 298. 



Compt. rend. T. 39, p. 63. 



