60 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE ADRENALS. 



compounds. In a subsequent paper Abel 136 announced that he 

 had isolated the active principle of the suprarenal capsule in 

 the form of a light-gray or brownish powder whose percentage 

 composition could be expressed by the formula C 17 H 15 N0 4 . 

 This approaches in elementary composition several alkaloids, 

 namely: pseudomorphine, represented by C 17 H 19 N0 4 ; cocaine, 

 the formula of which is C 17 H 21 N0 4 ; while sanguinarine, whose 

 power to raise blood-pressure is noteworthy, is represented by 

 C 20 H 15 N0 4 . Again, in the course of previous work, Abel and 

 Crawford had noticed that suprarenal extract, entirely free 

 of proteids and physiologically active, gave a pyrrol reaction 

 on dry distillation, as evidenced by the odor and various tests. 

 Alkaloids morphine, "for instance also give pyrrol on dry 

 distillation; while, on the other hand, pyrrol compounds, to 

 which Abel's active principle called by him "epinephrin" 

 belongs, are known to possess marked blood-pressure-raising 

 properties. While the free base prepared at high pressure, or 

 its salts, is not active in this particular, the free base prepared 

 at low pressure is very active, and, of its salts, the benzoate, 

 picrate, hydrochlorate, hydrobromate, and sulphate, the latter 

 is most particularly so. Its identity is also demonstrated by 

 the fact that, as is the case with suprarenal extract, its effects 

 are ephemeral; small doses intravenously injected at first ex- 

 cite, then centrally depress, respiration, heart-failure following 

 the use of large doses. Again, its kinship to chromogens be- 

 comes apparent through the fact that uroerythrin, the normal 

 pigment principle of the urine, exhibits properties very similar 

 to epinephrin. Finally, active suprarenal extractives are known 

 to be very prone to become oxidized; this tendency is so marked 

 in the case of epinephrin that it is a source of great incon- 

 venience. Von Fiirth, of Strassburg, 137 has also produced an 

 active principle which he has termed "suprarenin," but this 

 product does not seem to show properties superior to those of 

 epinephrin. J. Takamine 138 has more recently contributed a 

 preparation which he has named "adrenalin," the physiological 

 activity of which is said to be remarkably powerful, a fraction 



138 Abel: Johns Hopkins Hosp. Bull., Sept.-Oct., 1898. 



137 Von Fiirth: Journal fur prakt. Chemie, Bd. xxix, S. 105. 



iM j. Takamine: Therapeutic Gazette, April 15, 1901. 



