218 BACTERIAL POISONS. 



alcohol, difficultly so in ether, and insoluble in water ; 

 hence the alcoholic solution can be precipitated by addition 

 of water or ether (separation from the putrescine compound, 

 see p. 208). It melts at 129-130. It is not changed by 

 boiling with dilute acids and alkalies; but boiling with 

 concentrated hydrochloric or sulphuric acids for a long 

 time finally breaks it up. 



NEURIDINE, C 5 H 14 N 2 , was the first diamine isolated from 

 animal tissues (BRIEGER, 1883). It is one of the most 

 common products of putrefaction, and as such has been 

 obtained by BRIEGER from putrid horseflesh, beef, human 

 muscle, five to six days ; from haddock, five days in sum- 

 mer ; from cheese, six weeks in summer ; from gelatin, 

 ten days at 35 ; from decomposing human internal organs, 

 three to eleven days ; from cultures of the EBERTH bacillus, 

 witli mydine. 



BOCKLISCH has obtained it from perch, six days in 

 summer ; from barbel after three days in summer. 



It has also been obtained from fresh eggs in the prepa- 

 ration of choline by heating with baryta ; and also from 

 fresh brain by heating with 2 per cent, hydrochloric acid 

 (BRIEGER, I., 57-61). EHRENBERG (1887) found it in 

 poisonous sausage and obtained it by growing a bacillus 

 from this source on liver and meat bouillon. 



Neuridine is almost invariably accompanied by choline, 

 and as the duration of putrefaction increases, the latter 

 gradually decreases in amount and yields a corresponding 

 increase in trimethylamine, whereas the yield of neuridine 

 increases from day to day. The amount of neuridine 

 formed depends upon the nature of the organ employed in 

 putrefaction. The greatest yield is obtained from gelatin- 

 ous tissues, such as intestines ; and especially from pure 

 gelatin. On the other hand, such tissues as the spleen 

 and liver yield but little. 



Neuridine comes down in the mercuric chloride precipi- 

 tate (sometimes it occurs in the filtrate), and can then be 

 isolated from the other bases present in a number of ways. 

 One method is given under Gadiuine. Another convenient 



