21 



up of certain cyan-alcohols united to a benzene nucleus — or in other 

 words by combining hydrocyanic acid with a compound belonging 

 to the benzene group and with the five aldehydes — methylic, 

 ethylic, propionic, butyric and valeric — a compound would be 

 formed having the same ultimate composition as albumen; and 

 also that a considerable number of the substances such as glycocoll, 

 lactic acid, leucine &c. which are obtained from albuminous 

 substances, could be prepared in the laboratory artificially from 

 these cyan-alcohols. Assuming such a constitution for albumen, 

 I indicated how, if the force, vital or other, which holds to- 

 gether these molecules forming living tissue, were modified or 

 lessened, so that the molecules instead of undergoing the normal 

 changes fall asunder and are partially oxidised, such substances 

 would be produced as glucose fi'om methylic cyan-alcohol, lactic 

 acid and para-aldehyde from the next in the series, and oxybutyric 

 acid and acetone from a third. I refer to this here, because the 

 same assumption as to the constitution of albuminous material 

 helps to explain the origin and formation of Brieger's ptomaines. 



From the lowest cyan-alcohol in the series CH^ l p„ glycocoll 



CH„ \ ^^^^TT should be obtained, which under certain conditions 



splits up into carbonic acid and methylamine NH2(CH3). This 

 methylamine may under certain circumstances form dimethylamine 

 NH(CH3)2 and trimethylamine N(0H3)3, the two substances 

 into which neuridin (the alkaloid which is the first to be sepai*ated 

 from putrefying meat) can be decomposed. The following equation 

 then would represent the origin of neuridin : — 



5CH,(NHJC00H = C,H,^N, + 5C0, + 3NH3 + H, 

 glycocoll neuridin. 



