296 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Sept. 



Campaaularian bud from nearly spherical to a broadly 

 discoid form, whicli results in the flat, saucer-shaped 

 Campanularian medusa, instead of the bell-shaped Tubu- 

 larian medusa. 



CYSTIN. 



By E. cutter, M. D., 



NEW YORK. 



Cystin is not so rare as thought. It is of clinical im- 

 portance. A variety of rheumatism is called "cystinic" 

 because cystin predominates in tlieblood,and rheumatism 

 is a "gravel of bh)od" (Salisbury). 



Cystin is also found in urine and sputum. It is C6 H12 

 N2 S2 04, and is to he regarded asa sulphur carbohydrate 

 with N. It is probably a normal body if kept in solution 

 in the blood by plenty of water being supplied to the sys- 

 tem. It is to be eliminated in the urine, feces, sweat, 

 and expectoration in solution. When, from absence of 

 sufficient water or other reasons, it is concentrated and 

 crystalized into flat hexagons with a thickness of about 

 one-eight of its diameter, sometimes with slightly irreg- 

 ular or anfractuous outlines, sometimes with a liilus, 

 sometimes with section cut out as a piece of pie is cut. 

 Color, white. Sometimes found alone, butoftener associ- 

 ated with other blood, urinal, sweat, or sputal crystals, 

 with hyaline, blue, bronze, emerald-green, ruby-red, pig- 

 mental matters, which are to be expected when enough 

 water is not drank or when waters loaded with salts are 

 imbibed. But cases where cystin is found oftenest are 

 those in which sulphur has largely entered as food, i. e., 

 yolks of eggs. Or, to put it the other way, when patients 

 have eaten the yolks of eggs they present cystin in their 

 blood or urine. 



Recently I found cystin in the blood of a tuberculous 

 lady to whom yolks had been forbidden. Asked if she 



