610 VITAL ACTIONS OF THE LOWER FUNGI. 



In the case of tyrosin also we must assume that a 

 further rapid decomposition takes place, because it i& 

 only found in considerable quantities at the commence- 

 ment of putrefaction ; according to Nencki this fermenta- 

 tion can occur according to the formula : C C H 4 OH 



= CH (indol) 



" 



nr>rkTT fL N 

 C 2 H 3 NH 2 COOH (ty rosin) = 



-f C0 2 -f H 2 +H 2 . According to Baumann, in the 

 putrefaction of tyrosin, when the entrance of oxygen is 

 not completely hindered, hydroparacumaric acid, paroxy- 

 phenylacetic acid, paracresol, and phenol are formed in 

 that order ; in this decomposition paraethyl, phenol, 

 and paroxybenzoic acid probably form intermediate 

 stages, carbonic acid, water, and ammonia being set 

 free. Other observers have demonstrated the formation 

 of hydrocinnamic acid from tyrosine. Among the tran- 

 sitory products we have also succinic acid, which breaks 

 up into carbonic acid and propionic acid, likewise phenyl- 

 amido-propionic acid, which furnishes phenyl acetic acid, 

 and phenylamidoacetic acid, which gives rise to small 

 quantities of amygdalic acid, along with other products 

 of decomposition. 



Products. The following are the numerous bodies which arise in 



putrefactive processes : carbonic acid, hydrogen, free 

 nitrogen, sulphuretted hydrogen, phosplmretted hydrogen , 

 methane ; formic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, valerianic 

 acid, palmitic acid ; acrylic acid, crotonic acid ; gly collie 

 acid, lactic acid, valerolactamic acid ; oxalic acid, succinic 

 acid ; leucin, glycocoll, glutaminic acid, aspartic acid, 

 amidostearic acid ; ammonia, carbonate of ammonia, 

 sulphide of ammonia ; numerous amine bases, propy- 

 lamine, trimethylamine, &c. ; indol, scatol-carbonic acid, 

 scatol ; tyrosin, and the bodies belonging to the aromatic 

 series which have been above mentioned as originating 

 from it ; finally, the ptomaines referred to on p. 569. 



The number and multiplicity of these products lead 

 to the conclusion that their formation does not always 

 occur to the same extent in every putrefactive fermenta- 

 tion. As a matter of fact we by no means always find 

 all the products mentioned ; on the contrary, the decom- 



