COLLOID AND PSEUDOMUCIN. 595 



dally shown by FR. MULLER, NEUBERG and HEYMANN.! From pseudo- 

 mucin ZANGERLE 2 obtained 30 per cent glucosamine, and NEUBERG and 

 HEYMANN have shown that the glucosamine is the only carbohydrate 

 regularly taking part, in the structure of these substances. Still there are 

 reports as to the occurrence of chondroitin -sulphuric acid (or an allied 

 acid) in pseudomucin or colloid (PANZER), but this is not constant 

 according to the experience of HAMMARSTEN. 



As hydrolytic cleavage products of pseudomucin OTORI obtained, 

 besides carbohydrate derivatives such as levulinic acid and humus sub- 

 stances, leucine, tyrosine, glycocoll, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, valeric 

 acid, arginine, lysine, and guanidine. The quantity of guanidine, it 

 seems, was greater than that which could be derived from the arginine, 

 hence this body probably originated from another complex. PREGL 3 

 obtained on the hydrolysis of a colloid, which behaved like paramucin, 

 no glycocoll and only traces of diamino acids, but otherwise the same 

 amino acids as OTORI found, besides alanine, proline, phenylalanine and 

 tryptophane. 



The detection of metalbumin and paralbumin is naturally connected 

 with the detection of pseudomucin. A typical ovarial fluid containing 

 pseudomucin is, as a rule, sufficiently characterized by its physical proper- 

 ties, and a special chemical investigation is necessary only in cases where a 

 serous fluid contains very small amounts of pseudomucin. The pro- 

 cedure is as follows: The protein is removed by heating to boiling with 

 the addition of acetic acid; the nitrate is strongly concentrated and pre- 

 cipitated by alcohol. The precipitate, a transformation product of pseudo- 

 mucin, is carefully washed with alcohol and then dissolved in water. A 

 part of this solution is digested with saliva at the temperature of the 

 body and then tested for glucose (derived from glycogen or dextrin). 

 If glycogen is present, it will be converted into glucose by the saliva; 

 precipitate again with alcohol and then proceed as in the absence of 

 glycogen. In this last-mentioned case, first add acetic acid to the solu- 

 tion of the alcohol precipitate in water so as to precipitate any existing 

 mucin. The precipitate produced is filtered off, the filtrate treated with 

 2 -per cent HC1 and warmed on the water-bath until the liquid is deep 

 brown in color. In the presence of pseudomucin this solution gives 

 TROMMER'S test. 



The other protein bodies which have been found in cystic fluids are 

 serglobulin and seralbumin, peptone (?), mucin, and mucin-peptone (?). 

 Fibrin occurs only in exceptional cases. The quantity of mineral bodies 

 on an average amounts to about 10 p. m. The amount of extractive 

 bodies (cholesterin and urea) and fat is ordinarily 2-4 p. m. The remaining 



1 Miiller, Verb. d. Naturf. Gesellsch. in Basel, 12, part 2; Neuberg and Heymann, 

 Hofmeister's Beitrage, 2. See also Leathes, Arch. f. exp. Path. u. Pharm., 43. 



2 Munch, med. Wochenschr., 1900. 



3 Otori, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 42 and 43; Fregl, ibid., 58. 



