88 THE CHEMISTRY OE THE TISSUES AND ORGANS. 
Another point in connection with the spleen relates to the question 
whether or not proteoses or peptones are obtainable from it ; this is im- 
portant, because Sidney Martin 1 has found that the proteoses of diseases 
(diphtheria, tetanus, etc.) accumulate in the spleen, v. Jaksch 2 states 
that normal spleen contains " peptone " ; but the careful work of Gourlay, 
in which he used Devoto's ammonium sulphate method and the alcohol 
method failed to detect any. 
Lymphatic glands. — The capsule yields gelatin and mucin like 
connective tissue structures generally. The reticular tissue yields 
reticulin (see p. 72) and gelatin (see p. 70). The chemistry of the cells 
has been already described (p. 81). 
In a lymphatic gland, about two-thirds are water, the remainder 
solids. The tissue is alkaline during life, and turns acid, due to the 
development of sarcolactic acid, after death. 3 
Thymus. — This is also principally lymphoid tissue, and the above 
remarks apply equally well to it. Nothing special is known of the 
chemistry of the concentric corpuscles. The presence of extractives 
like xanthine and hypoxanthine has been noted by Scherer, Gorup- 
Besanez, Frerichs, Stadeler, etc., whose writings have been already 
referred to. Schindler 4 has estimated the " nuclein or alloxuric bases " 
(see p. 67) obtainable from the thymus of the calf, with the following 
results : — 
Percentage in Adenine. 
Hypoxanthine. 
Guanine. 
Xanthine. 
0-038 
0-360 
Fresh tissue 
Dry tissue 
0-179 
1-919 
0-0023 
0-218 
0-0075 
0-071 
The high percentage of adenine is noteworthy. Like the other 
organs already described, the reaction, alkaline during life, becomes 
rapidly acid after death. The acid is sarcolactic acid. 5 
The thyroid. — This organ is also alkaline during life, but becomes 
acid after death ; this is due to sarcolactic acid (Moscatelli). 
Various extractives (fatty acids, xanthine, hypoxanthine, etc.) have 
been found in it by Gorup-Besanez, Scherer, Frerichs, and Stadeler. 
Inosite has been found by Frankell 6 and by Tambach. 7 The main 
constituents of the thyroid, however, are proteids, and a proteid-like 
substance from the colloid material in the acini. 
Oidtmann found in the adult thyroid, 82-24 water, 17'66 organic and 
01 inorganic material per cent. In an infant's thyroid the numbers 
were 77"21, 22-35, and 044 respectively. 
The importance of the chemistry of the thyroid arises from the fact that 
the administration of thyroid extracts has been attended with curative 
results in cases where the thyroid is absent, or no longer forms the 
internal secretion which is believed to be necessary for the nutrition of 
the nervous system. 
1 Goulstonian Lectures, Brit. Med. Journ., London, March 1892. 
- Ztsrfir. f. physiol. Chem., Strassburg, 1892, Bd. xvi. S. 243. 
3 Hirschler, Ibid., Bd. xi. S. 41. 
4 Ibid., Bd. xiii. S. 438. 
5 Moscatelli, ibid., Bd. xii. S. 416. 
6 Wien. med. BL, 1895, No. 48 ; 1896, Nos. 13, 14, 15. 
7 Pharm. Centr.-BL, Leipzig, 1896, Bd. iv. S. 119. 
