PHENOL- AND CRESOL-SULPHURIC ACIDS. 725 



consider correctly that this relation is only of secondary value, and that 

 it is more correct to consider the absolute value. It must be remarked 

 that the absolute values for the conjugated sulphuric a,cid also undergo 

 great variation, so that it is at present impossible to give the upper or 

 lower limit for the normal value. 



Phenol- and p-Cresol-sulphuric Acids, C 6 H 5 .O.SO 2 .OH and 



O.S0 2 .OH 

 CeH4<^ These acids are found as alkali salts in human urine, 



CH 3 



in which also orthocresol has been detected. The quantity of cresol- 

 sulphuric acid is considerably greater than of phenol-sulphuric acid. 

 In the quantitative estimation the phenols are set free from the two 

 ethereal acids and determined together as tribromphenol. The quan- 

 tity of phenols which are separated from the ethereal-sulphuric acids 

 of the urine amounts to 17-51 milligrams in the twenty-four hours 

 (MUNK) . In nine case investigated by 'SIEGFRIED and ZIMMERMANN 1 

 they found in the urine of healthy students in 1500 cc. urine an average 

 of 44.6 milligrams phenols, of which 26 milligrams was cresol and 18.6 

 milligrams was phenol. After the ingestion of carbolic acid, which is 

 in great part converted by synthesis within the organism into phenol- 

 sulphuric acid, also into pyrocatechin- and hydroquinon-sulphuric acid 2 

 or when the amount of sulphuric acid is not sufficient to combine with 

 the phenol, it forms phenol-glucuronic acid, 3 the quantity of phenols 

 and ethereal-sulphuric acids in the urine is considerably increased at the 

 expense of the sulphate-sulphuric acid. The same is also true of other 

 phenols. The cresol is in great part changed into phenol in dogs, accord- 

 ing to SIEGFRIED and ZIMMERMANN . 4 



An increased elimination of phenol-sulphuric acids occurs in active 

 putrefaction in the intestine with stoppage of the contents of the intes- 

 tine, as in ileus, diffused peritonitis with atony of the intestine, or tuber- 

 culous enteritis, but not in simple obstruction. The elimination is also 

 increased by the absorption of the products of putrefaction from 

 purulent wounds or abscesses. An increased elimination of phenol has 

 been observed in a few other cases of diseased conditions of the body. 6 



1 Munk, Pflviger's Arch., 12; Siegfried and Zimmermann, Bioch. Zeitschr ., 34. 



2 See Baumann, Pfliiger's Arch., 12 and 13, and Baumann and Preusse, Zeitschr. 

 f. physiol. Chem., 3, 156. 



3 Schmiedeberg, Arch. f. exp. Path. u. Pharm., 14; C. Tollens, Zeitschr. f. physiol. 

 Chem., 67. 



4 Bioch. Zeitschr., 46. 



5 See G. Hoppe-Seyler, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 12 (this contains also all refer- 

 ences to the literature on this subject); Fedeli, Moleschott's Untersuch., 15. 



