648 THE INTERNAL, SECRETIONS AND IMMUNITY. 



acid. Aldehydes, however, are never produced within the body 

 by oxidation from alcohol; but aldehydes may be reduced to 

 alcohol, as chloral hydrate to trichlorethyl alcohol, butyl-chlo- 

 ral to trichlorbutyl-alcohol. The higher alcohols of the fatty 

 series are not, -however, always completely oxidized. Isopropyl- 

 alcohol is changed in part to acetone, while the rest is excreted 

 unchanged. The primary and secondary alcohols are readily 

 oxidized in the body. More difficult is the sexivalent alcohol 

 mannit, which appears in the urine of dogs almost unchanged. 

 The tertiary and all halogen substituted alcohols are oxidized 

 with great difficulty. Thus, tertiary amyl-alcohol, 



CH,^^ 

 Amyl-alcohol : >C (OH). CH, CH, 



and 



^ 



Butyl-alcohol : CH 3 - ^- 0^. as we ^ as trichlorethyl- 



alcohol, CC1 3 .CH 2 .OH and 



trichlorbutyl-alcohol: CH 3 . CH.C1. CC1 2 . CH 3 . OH., appear for 

 the most part combined with glycorunic acid in the urine. The 

 dibasic acids behave in the following manner: Oxalic acid is 

 partly eliminated by the urine, and shows a certain resistance 

 to oxidation. Some claim that it undergoes no oxidation in the 

 body whatever. Glycolic acid, CH 2 (OH). COOH, is oxidized in 

 the body without the formation of oxalic acid, as is likewise 

 glycoxylic acid, CHO. COOH. Malonic acid is transformed into 

 oxalic acid only in minute amounts, while a small portion is 

 eliminated unchanged in the urine. Tartronic acid and pyro- 

 racemic acid show themselves as combustible grain by grain. 

 Tartaric acid goes in part unchanged through the organism. 

 It is but slightly attacked by animal bodies." 



Atropine decidedly increases the elimination of uric acid 

 (Wood), but in toxic doses reduces the percentage of urea 

 (Thompson). Drugs that tend to rapidly cause adrenal insuf- 

 ficiency, on the contrary, arrest the elimination of these prod- 

 ucts: evidence that they prevent the oxidation of toxics. Anti- 

 pyrin thus inhibits the elimination of urea, and acetanilid does 

 likewise in subjects sensitive to its effects. 



