450 THE LIVER. 



as first discovered by RANSOM, is destroyed, as shown by HAUSMANN, by 

 replacing the hydroxyl groups. These combinations between cholesterin 

 and saponins have been studied by MADSEN and NOGUCHI and by 



WlNDAUS. 1 



The so-called cholesterin-stones are best employed in the preparation 

 of cholesterin. The powder is first boiled with water and then repeatedly 

 boiled with alcohol. The cholesterin which on cooling separates from the 

 warm filtered solution is boiled with a solution of caustic potash in alcohol 

 so as to saponify any fat. After the evaporation of the alcohol the choles- 

 terin is extracted from the residue with ether, by which the soaps are 

 not dissolved; filter, evaporate the ether, and purify the cholesterin by 

 recrystallization from alcohol-ether. The cholesterin may be extracted 

 with fat from tissues and fluids by first extracting with ether and then 

 proceeding as suggested by RiTTER. 2 The assential points in his method 

 consist in saponifying the fat with sodium alcoholate, removing the alcohol 

 by evaporating to dryness with NaCl, and finally extracting the dried 

 pulverized mass with ether. After evaporating the ether the residue is 

 dissolved in as little alcohol as possible and the cholesterin precipitated 

 by the addition of water. It is ordinarily easily detected in transudates 

 and pathological formations by means of the microscope. In regard to 

 the methods of preparation, detection and quantitative estimation of 

 cholesterin we refer to the larger text-books. 



1 Ransom, Deutsch. med. Wochenschr., 1901; Hausmann, Hofmeister's Beitrage, 

 6; Madsen and Noguchi, Kgl. Dansk. Vidensk. Selskabs. Forh., 1904; Windaus, Ber. 

 d. d. chem. Gesellsch., 42. 



2 Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 34. See also Corper, Journ. of biol. Chem., 11. 



