COMPOSITION OF THE BRAIN. -613 



and salts diminish relatively, while the phosphatides, cerebrosides and 

 especially cholesterin strikingly increase. The sulphur of the lipoids 

 increased to the second year, but then existed in the same amounts as at 

 nineteen years. 



BAUMSTARK claims to have found that a part pfuthe cholesterin in the brain 

 occurs in a combined state, perhaps as ester; this view has been found to be 

 incorrect by the recent investigations of BUNZ. He obtained from the brain 

 neither esters of cholesterin with higher fatty acids nor other compounds of 

 cholesterin which split on saponification. TEBB * Jias also found only free 

 cholesterin. 



According to FRANKEL, 2 who has fractionally extracted the human 

 brain with various solvents, found 230 p. m. solids in the brain and this 

 consisted of f lipoids and J proteins. Of the lipoids about 17 per cent 

 was cholesterin, 34.482 per cent saturated and 48.293 per cent unsat- 

 urated compounds. The amount of cholesterin in the different parts 

 of the brain was as follows, according to FRANKEL, KIRSCHBAUM and 

 LINNERT. In the cortex 11.5 p. m., in the white substance 24.7 p. m., 

 in the cerebellum 13.1 p. m., and in the bridge and medulla 40.3 p. m., 

 all calculated in the moist substance. 



The analysis of the brain of an epileptic made by KOCH 3 is of very great 

 interest. As the protagon is considered by KOCH as a mixture, no results for 

 the quantity of protagon are given. As no accurate methods for the estima- 

 tion of the little known bodies cephalin, myelin, phrenosin and kerasin are 

 available, the figures given for these are of little value. The following results 

 are calculated to 1000 parts : 



Corpus Cortex 



Callosum (pref rental). 



Water 679.7 841 .3 



Protein 32.0 50.0 



Nucleoproteins 37.0 30.0 



Neurokeratin 27.0 (CHITTENDEN) 4.0 (CHITTENDEN) 



Extractives (water-soluble) 15.1 15.8 



Lecithins 51.9 31.4 



Cephalin and myelin 34 . 9 7.4 



Phrenosin and kerasin 45 . 7 15.5 



Cholesterin 48.6 7.0 



Sulphurized substance 14 . 14 . 5 



Mineral bodies 8.2 8.7 



PIGHINI and CARBONE found that the brains of paralytics were richer in water, 

 considerably richer in cholesterin, but poorer in cephalin than healthy brains. 

 This last corresponds, to the observations of KOCH and MANN 4 that the quan- 

 tity of lipoid phosphorus was diminished in paralytics. 



^aumstark, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem. 9; R. Biinz ibid., 46; Tebb, Journ. of 

 Physiol., 34. 



2 Bioch. Zeitschr., 19, with Kirschbaum and Linnert, ibid., 46. 



3 Amer. Journ. of Physiol., 11. 



4 Pighini and Carbone, Bioch. Zeitschr., 46; Koch and Mann, Arch, of Neurol. 

 and Psychol., 1910. 



