1889.] Hydroxylamine and Nitrites and Blood-pressure. 353 



It was shown by Raimoudo and Bertoni* to have the power of 

 producing a chocolate-brown colour of the blood, of lessening its 

 oxidising power, and of producing a change in its spectrum, changes 

 similar to those observed by Gamgee as consequences of the action of 

 nitrites. f LoewJ found it to be a powerful protoplasmic poison. 

 From a consideration of its chemical properties, Binz was led to 

 think that it must be reckoned amongst the bodies which cause 

 paralysis of cells in the nerve-centres, either by setting free active 

 oxygen or one of the halogens, and his experiments showed the 

 correctness of his hypothesis. Raimondo and Bertoni thought that 

 during the reaction between hydroxylamine and blood nitrous acid 

 was formed, and Binz obtained the reaction of nitrites from the blood 

 of animals poisoned by it. 



It therefore seemed probable that it would affect the blood-pressure 

 in a similar way to nitrites, and on testing it we found that it does. 

 On injecting the hydrochl orate of hydroxylamine either into the 

 veins or peritoneal cavity, it produces a fall of blood-pressure almost 

 exactly similar to that produced by nitrite of amyl, as will be seen by 

 a comparison of the accompanying curves, in which the fall of blood- 

 pressure is so much alike that it is almost impossible to tell from a 

 mere inspection of the tracings which is due to hydroxylamine and 

 which to amyl nitrite. As hydroxylamine itself is very unstable, and 

 is readily converted into ammonia, we used the hydrochlorate, which 

 we obtained from Messrs. Hopkin and Williams. As hydroxylamine 

 is made commercially by the reduction of nitrites, it appeared possible 

 that the specimen we employed might be contaminated by nitrites, 

 and that its action upon the blood-pressure might be due to impurity 

 and not to the action of the hydroxylamine itself. On testing the 

 specimen we employed by starch-paste and iodine with acetic, sul- 

 phuric or hydrochloric acid we got no reaction, and Messrs. Hopkin 

 and Williams also told us that it gave no reaction with metaphenylene- 

 diamine. 



We may therefore regard the specimen as pure, and attribute the 

 fall of blood-pressure to the action of the hydroxylamine hydro- 

 chlorate, and not to any impurities contained in it. 



* Kaimondi and Bertoni, Annali Univ. di Med.,' vol. 259, 1882, p. 97. Only 

 known to us by abstract in Virchow and Hirsch's ' Jahresber.' for 1882, 1, pp. 393 

 and 394. 



f Gamgee, ' Phil. Trans.,' 1868. 



J Loew, ' Archiv f . d. ges. Physiol.,' 1885, vol. 35, p. 516. 



Binz, op. cit. 



