LEUCOMAINES. 25 



produced as products of the decomposition of the protein substances 

 in the living organism, and which therefore are to be considered as 

 products of the physiological metabolism, have been called leucomaines 

 by GAUTIER 1 in contradistinction to the ptomaines and toxines pro- 

 duced by micro-organisms. These bodies, to which belong several well- 

 known animal extractives, are considered by many as being of certain 

 importance in causing disease. It has been contended that when these 

 bodies accumulate on account of an incomplete excretion or oxidation 

 in the system, an autointoxication may be produced (BOUCHARD and 

 others) . 2 



Of especially great interest are the toxines which are found in t"he 

 higher plants and animals, like the jequirity-bean and castor-seed, in 

 the poison of snakes and spiders, in blood-serum, etc., and particularly 

 those produced by pathogenic micro-organisms have an unmistakable 

 relation to the enzymes. A closer study of these various bodies, 

 lysines, agglutinines, toxines, etc., as well as of the antitoxines and 

 the theory of immunity, does not lie within the scope of this' work, 

 but on account of the great importance of the subject it will be briefly 

 discussed in the next chapter (II). 



1 Bull. soc. chim., 43, and A. Gautier, Sur les alcaloi'des de'rive's de la destruction 

 bacterienne ou physiologique des tissues animaux, Paris, 1886. 



2 Bouchard, Lecons sur les auto-intoxications dans les maladies, Paris, 1887. See 

 also the various text -books of clinical medicine. 



