CHAP. VI.] INJECTING FREE OXY-HJEMOGLOBIN INTO BLOOD. 



363 



of these cases, the agent able to lead to the elimination of bilirubin 

 is known to be able to effect a disintegration or solution of the coloured 

 blood corpuscles. With these * dases of jaundice due to well-defined 

 toxic agents, it was natural to connect the cases of jaundice occurring 

 occasionally in connection with certain animal poisons, as that of 

 snake bite : with certain zymotic diseases, such as remittent and 

 intermittent fevers : or in connection with acute yellow atrophy of the 

 liver, a disease presenting a remarkable resemblance in its phe- 

 nomena to slow poisoning by phosphorus and some other agents. 



The researches of Kuhne thus rendered it probable that in 

 addition to an hepatogenic jaundice, there might exist a hcematogenic 

 jaundice, perfectly explicable without recourse to the altogether 

 untenable hypothesis that normally the bile colouring matters exist 

 preformed in the blood, and are merely excreted by the liver. 

 Captivating though the new theory at first appeared, the progress of 

 research has shewn it to be incorrect, and has forced us to the con- 

 clusion, expressed at the outset of this chapter, that all cases of 

 jaundice are due to reabsorption of bile already formed in, and by, 

 the liver. 



In the first instance came a series of researches which, indirectly, 

 led to grave doubts being entertained whether free haemoglobin 

 existing in the blood is converted into bilirubin. Max Hermann 1 

 had found that the injection of water into the blood of dogs led to 

 the excretion of bile pigment in the urine, and had explained the 

 phenomena, on Kiihne's hypothesis, as due to a conversion of haemo- 

 globin into bilirubin, independently of any hepatic action. J. Steiner 2 , 

 however, on repeating these experiments with rabbits, was only able 

 to discover bile colouring matter twice in twenty-four experiments, 

 the exceptional results being explained by Xaunyn 3 by the fact that 

 fasting animals excrete bile colouring matter in the urine. 



Experiments Subsequently Tarchanoff 4 injected solutions of crys- 



of Tarcnanoff tallised oxy-haernoglobin into the jugular vein of dogs, 

 and vossius. an ^ co u ec ti n g the urine as it flowed through cannulae 

 tied into the ureters found that, for about two hours or more, after 

 the injection, the urine contained haemoglobin in solution, but no trace 

 of bile colouring matter, though subsequently the latter made 'its 

 appearance. 



Tarchanoff, further, found that when oxy-haemoglobin was injected 

 into the veins of dogs with biliary fistulae, the quantity of bilirubin 



1 Max Hermann, 'De effectu sanguinis dilnti in secretionem urinae.' Dissert. 

 Inaug. Berolini, 1859. 



2 J. Steiner, 'Ueber die hamatogene Bildung des Gallenfarbstoffes.' Archiv f. 

 Anal. u. Phys. 1873, p. 160. 



3 Naunyn, 'Beitrage zur Lehre von Icterus.' Archiv f. Anat. u. Physiol. 1868, 

 pp. 438440. 



4 Job. Fiirst Tarchanoff, ' Ueber die Bildung von Gallenpigment aus Blutfarbstoff 

 im Tbierkorper.' Pfliiger's Archiv, Vol. ix. (1874), pp. 53 65; 'Zur Kenntniss der 

 Gallenfarbstofibildung.' Ibid. pp. 329334. 



OF THE 

 XTNIVERSITT 



