ALKAPTONURIA 



513 



However, Dakin gave to alkaptonurics paramethylphenylalanin 

 CH 3 C G H 4 CH 2 CHNH 2 COOH and paramethoxyphenylalanin CH 3 OC 6 H 4 - 

 CH 2 CHNH 2 COOH and has found that they were oxidized in the organ- 

 ism. He concludes that the formation of homogentisic acid in metabolism 

 is always pathological and that the benzol ring can be broken even in 

 alkaptonuria. 



Abderhalden and Bloch gave a fixed diet to a person suffering from 

 alkaptonuria and on one of the days of the experiment gave him 5 liters 

 of water. Their results were as follows: 



Diet 



Normal food 

 Normal + 5 L. water 

 Normal food 



N Bal- 

 ance 

 gm. 

 + 1.36 

 2.19 

 + 1.47 



N in 



Urine 



gm. 



18.2 



21.75 



18.09 



Homogentisic 



Acid 



gm. 



10.52 



10.18 



10.27 



They believe that this constancy of the output of homogentisic acid 

 indicates a constancy of protein metabolism throughout. 



Falta fed alkaptonurics with pure protein and found that casein yields 

 most alkapton. The following table shows the amounts of homogentisic 

 acid excreted upon feeding the various proteins : 



Katsch has lately tabulated the metabolic findings in a case of al- 

 kaptonuria in a boy who has been under observation and the subject of 

 research for several years. He found that the alkaptonuria subsides dur- 



