Is Choline present in the Cerebro-Spinal Fluid of Epileptics ? 293 



It follows from these results either that choline is present, but in 

 amounts too small for the periodide test to reveal it, or that Donath's test 

 is untrustworthy and choline is absent. If the first alternative is correct, 

 Donath's test is much more sensitive than the periodide reaction. 



Tablk I. 



Tlie formation of anisotropic crystals on the addition of platinum 

 chloride is really not so characteristic of choline as Donath appears to 

 consider. It does not exclude the possibility that other bases are present in 

 cerebro-spinal fluid which form anisotropic crystals, and which do not give 

 the periodide reaction for choline. Rosenheim has already pointed this 

 out in one of his papers,^ and I have been able to confirm his observations. 



But, before coming to a final conclusion, it seemed advisable to examine 

 a few more cases of epilepsy, and the results are given in Table II. : — 



Table II. 



The results of the examination of these four specimens are very interest- 

 ing. When sent to the laboratory, they were simply labelled epilepsy ; and 

 it will be seen that in two of them choline was found by the periodide test, 

 notwithstanding that in one of them (case 9) the quantity of fluid at my 



1 Journ. of Physiol., xxxv., p. 469, 1907. 



