570 GASTROIXTESTIXAL 'AUTOIXTOXICaTIOX" 



after tuberculin reactions ( Deist ).^^ Albumosuria is present in small- 

 pox and may serve in differential diagnosis.' ■'^'' In ulcerative condi- 

 tions of the alimentary' canal albumoses may be absorbed unchanged 

 and cause alimentary albumosuria. The normal kidney seems to be 

 impermeable to the small amounts of proteose that may be present nor- 

 mally in the blood, or even after large oral ingestion of proteoses, but 

 in parenchymatous nephritis it may escape in the urine (Henderson/** 

 Pollak^"^).' 



It is possi])le that some of the symptoms of these conditions are 

 due to intoxication with proteoses, for 0.07 to 0.1 gram deutero-albu- 

 mose will cause a febrile reaction in a healthy man/' but probably 

 their amount is usually too small to cause appreciable etfects.^^ It is 

 well known, however, that the characteristic rise of temperature fol- 

 lowing tlie injection of tuberculin into tuberculous individuals is also 

 produced if minute quantities of proteose solutions are injected in 

 place of tuberculin ; therefore, proteoses arising from autolysis in tu- 

 berculosis may be of importance in causing fever and other symp- 

 toms.^^ Tuberculous animals are said to succumb to a much smaller 

 dose of deutero-albumose than normal auimals.^®^ 



The so-called "Bence- Jones albumose" that appears in the urine 

 of patients with multiple bone-marrow tumors is not a true albumose, 

 but is more closely related to the simple proteins, and is discussed 

 under the head of "Chemistry of Tumors." 



III. PRODUCTS OF PUTREFACTION AND FERMENTATION -° 



AVe may perhaps gain some appreciation of the enormous amount 

 of bacterial action that goes on in the normal intestinal digestive 

 processes by considering the fact that as much as one-third of the total 

 weight of the solids of normal feces may consist of bacteria (Stras- 

 burger), their proportion being increased in diarrheal disorders and 

 decreased in constipation. They attack all food-stuff's, and among 

 the decomposition-products formed through their activity are un- 

 doubtedly many of considerable toxicity. ]\Iost of the products of in- 

 testinal putrefaction that have as yet been isolated are, however, not 

 extremely poisonous ; but many of them are toxic to some degree, and 

 their long-continued absorption may well lead to serious disturbances. 



15 Boilr. z. kliii. 'I'lilH-rk.. I!tl2 (23), .147. 



isa Primavora, Cay.. Int. Med. o Cliir., IIU.3, No. 10. 



i«Laiu-pt, :Mar. 6, IflOO. 



17 See :\rattlies. Arch, exper. Patli. u. Pliarni.. ISO.") CM)). 4:i7. 



1** In a series of uni)ul»lislu'd experiments I was nnable to cause amylnid de- 

 feneration in rabbits by ]>r()tracted intoxication with proteose solutions. 



i!» Simon, .\rch. ex]). :Med.. 190:? (4!t), 44!>. Concernini: relation of tuberculin 

 to proteoses see review liy -lolles in Ott's "C'hemisi'he l\itliol. der Tubcrculose." 



i!ia Kirchlieim aiid Tuczek. Arcli. exj). Path. u. I'harm.. 1014 (77). ."^87. 



2" Complete bibiiy^rajjliv jriven in the resumf' on "Intestinal Putrefaction" bv 

 Gerhardt, Erpebnisse der Physiol., 1004 (III. Abt. 1). 107. Chemistry of Putre- 

 faction is reviewed by Ellinjjer, ibid., 1007 ( ti ) , 20. 



