316 THE URINE. 



with the exception of cadaverin and putrescin, which, as has been 

 stated, may occur in association with cystinuria, these bodies have 

 been isolated in amounts scarcely sufficient to establish their 

 chemical nature. This holds good more especially of the bodies 

 which Griffith claims to have isolated from the urine of patients 

 suffering from scarlatina, measles, mumps, carcinoma, etc., and which 

 no one else has seen. 



As regards the origin of putrescin and cadaverin in cystinuria, the 

 opinion formerly prevailed that they are due to a specific form of 

 intestinal putrefaction. This is, however, not likely, and there is 

 good evidence to show that diaminuria, like cystinuria, is the ex- 

 pression of a distinct metabolic disturbance. I have pointed out 

 that both diamins can be derived from arginin and lysin in the labor- 

 atory, and there is every reason to suppose that the same transfor- 

 mation can also occur in the living organism. That arginin actually 

 occurs in the tissues of the body has been demonstrated by Gule- 

 witch, who found the substance in the spleen. 



The quantity of the diamins which may be eliminated in the 

 urine in cases of cystinuria is quite variable. On some days traces 

 only or none at all is found, while at other times very considerable 

 amounts may be obtained* In one of my cases I was able to isolate 

 1.6 grammes of the benzoylated cadaverin from the collected urine 

 of twenty-four hours. 



To demonstrate the presence of diamins, the method of Baumann 

 and v. Udranszky has been almost exclusively employed. To this 

 end, the collected urine of twenty-four hours or more is benzoylated 

 by shaking with benzoyl chloride in the presence of sodium hydrate. 

 As a general rule, 25 c.c. of the chloride and 200 c.c. of a 10 per 

 cent, solution of sodium hydrate are used for 1500 c.c. of the urine. 

 The resulting precipitate, which contains the earthy phosphates, the 

 benzoylated carbohydrates which are normally present in every 

 urine, and the greater portion of the benzoylated diamins, is then 

 filtered off, extracted with boiling alcohol, filtered, and the alcoholic 

 extract concentrated on a water-bath. This solution is then poured 

 into thirty times its volume of water. On standing, the benzoy- 

 lated diamins separate out in crystalline form, and are then freed 

 from adhering carbohydrates by repeated solution in alcohol and 

 precipitation in water. The process is continued until the desired 

 degree of purity is obtained. The resulting crystals are finally 

 filtered off, dried over sulphuric acid, and identified by their 

 melting-point and the contained amount of nitrogen. If both 

 diamins are present, the crystals lose their water of crystalliza- 

 tion at 120 C., and melt at 140 C. To separate them from 

 each other, they are dissolved in a little warm alcohol, and are 

 treated with twenty times as much ether. Benzoyl putrescin is 

 thus thrown down, while the cadaverin compound remains in solu- 

 tion. The crystals of the former melt at 175-176 C., while the 

 melting-point of the latter lies between 129 and 130 C. 



