CARBOHYDRATES. 49 



which points to the presence of carbohydrates. 1 Our knowledge concern- 

 ing these products is still indefinite, and the same may be said concerning 

 their biological significance. It seems possible that in the case of these 

 complicated carbohydrates in urine we have to do with products which 

 have escaped a complete breaking down. 



At this place we may mention the acid recently observed by P. A. 

 Levene 2 in the preparation of nucleic acid from the spleen, which of itself 

 has no reducing power, but acquires it after being boiled with acids. 

 Levene called it glucothionic acid, and regards it as a sulphuric acid 

 ester. It is not yet determined what the nature of the carbohydrate 

 component is. John A. Mandel and P. A. Levene 3 succeeded in obtaining 

 this acid also from the kidneys, liver, pancreas, and milk glands, although 

 only in very small amounts. Apparently such sulphuric acid compounds 

 of carbohydrate-like substances are quite widely distributed in the organ- 

 ism. Nothing is definitely known as to the relation that chondroitin-svl- 

 phuric acid 4 (prepared from cartilage and amyloid) bears to this group, 

 and we are equally ignorant concerning the significance of these products. 



Our knowledge concerning jecorin, first described by Drechsel 5 and 

 found by him in the liver of a horse and later in that of a dolphin, and 

 finally by Baldi 6 in the same organ and spleen of other animals, in the 

 muscles and blood of the horse and in the human brain, is still very indef- 

 inite. Its constitution is unknown, but it contains sulphur, phosphorus, 

 and a carbohydrate complex which Manasse 7 states to be glucose. 8 It is 

 probably not a chemical individual, but rather a mixture of quite dif- 

 ferent products. At present there is not much known concerning its 

 significance. 9 



1 Cf. Emil Abderhalden and Fritz Pregl: Z. physiol. Chem. 46, 19 (1905). 



2 Z. physiol. Chem. 37, 400 (1903). 



3 Z. physiol. Chem. 45, 386 (1905). 



4 Carl Th. Morner: Z. physiol. Chem. 20, 357 (1895). See also Skand. Arch. Physiol. 

 1, 210 (1899); Z. physiol. Chem. 23, 311 (1897). N. P. Krawkow: Arch. exp. Path. 

 Pharm. 40, 195 (1898). R. Oddi: ibid. 33, 376 (1894). O. Schmiedeberg: ibid. 28, 355 

 (1891). A. Orgler and C. Neuberg: Z. physiol. Chem. 37, 407 (1903). 



5 E. Drechsel: Ber. sachs Gesell. Wissensch. 1886, p. 44, and " Beitrage zur 

 Chemie erniger Seetiere," Z. Biol. 33, 85 (1896). 



Baldi: Arch. Physiol. 1887, Suppl. p. 100. 



7 Z. physiol. Chem. 20, 478 (1895). 



8 B. Bing. Skand: Arch. Physiol. 9, 166 (1900). 



9 See also J. Meinertz: Z. physiol. Chem. 46, 376 (1905), and M. Siegfried u. H. Mark: 

 ibid. 46, 492 (1905). 



