AMINES DERIVED FROM PROTEIN 15 



both bases have been isolated from ergot by Rielander [1908] and 

 putrescine has been found in autolysed yeast by Schenck [1905, i], in 

 fresh specimens of Boletus edulis by Reuter [1912] and in Datura 

 (a Phanerogam) by Ciamician and Ravenna (Trier [1912, 3]). 



The diamines further occur in some cases of cystinuria (Udranszky 

 and Baumann [1889], Cammidge and Garrod [1900], Loewy and 

 Neuberg [1904], Garrod and Hurtley [1906]; the last-named paper 

 should be consulted for the literature of other cases). In some 

 cases of cystinuria the diamines are only excreted occasionally, or not 

 at all, in Loewy and Neuberg's case only when arginine and lysine 

 were given by the mouth. On the other hand the diamines do not 

 pass into the urine when given by the mouth to a normal animal 

 (Udranszky and Baumann [1890]). Garrod's impression [1909] is 

 "that the likelihood that diamines will be detected in any given 

 specimen of cystin urine is comparatively small, but that if in any case 

 the examination be continued over sufficiently long periods they are 

 likely to be found eventually". Lately Ackermann and Kutscher 

 [1911] have found a minute quantity of lysine in cystinuric urine. 

 The excretion of diamines in the urine indicates a peculiarity of meta- 

 bolism, probably not intimately connected with the excretion of 

 cystine. 



Cadaverine was also found by Roos [1892] in the urine in two 

 cases of malaria, but this may have been the result of bacterial action. 

 Other cases of the alleged fermentative formation of the two diamines 

 may safely be ascribed to this cause. Thus Lawrow [1901] ob- 

 tained both bases in the autolysis of pig's stomach, Langstein 

 [1901, 1902] isolated cadaverine after digesting egg white with pepsin 

 for more than a year, Steyrer (referred to by Emerson [1901]) ob- 

 tained the same base from a pancreatic digest and Werigo [1892] 

 from pancreas macerated with chloroform water. In some of Werigo's 

 experiments incipient putrefaction was indeed noticed, and we may 

 well attach more weight to the experiments of Kutscher and Lohmann 

 [1905] and of Schumm [1905-6], who could not isolate either 

 putrescine or cadaverine when pancreas was autolysed under sterile 

 conditions, and to those of Bissegger and Stegmann [1908] who 

 likewise could not obtain the diamines by the tryptic or peptic diges- 

 tion of caseinogen. Schulze showed [1906] that putrescine and 

 cadaverine, unlike their parent substances, are absent from germinating 

 seedlings. 



Among the cases where putrescine and cadaverine are formed 

 by bacterial action we may further mention that both bases have 

 been obtained from putrid Soy beans (Yoshimura [1910]) and from 



