ALKALOIDAL TOXINS. 9 



BASES OF GROUP II. 



a. Ptomaines Isolated from Cultures of Patho- 

 genic Bacteria. Bacterial cultures contain, besides 

 the true toxins, a certain number of alkaloidal 

 bases which sometimes possess considerable toxicity. 



In the cultures of streptococcus pyogenes there 

 are found trimethylamine and xanthic bases; in 

 those of staphylococcus pyogenes aureus are found 

 xanthic bases and creatinine; while pyocyanine 

 and pyoxanthine are found in the cultures of 

 bacillus pyocyaneus, etc. 



b. Ptomaines Isolated from Pathological Urines. 

 Toxic ptomaine bases have been found in the urines 

 of a large number of diseases.* It is quite prob- 

 able that these bases are the results of a general 

 pathological condition due to some bacterial disease, 

 the toxic products of which are eliminated by the 

 kidneys. 



From the urines of epileptics Griffiths f isolated 

 a colorless base crystallizing in prisms having the 

 formula C^H^NsOy, and which was found to be 

 exceedingly toxic; the same investigator isolated 

 from the urines of eczematous subjects a ptomaine 



* GRIFFITHS: C. rend, de I 1 Academic des Sciences, cxv, pp. 285 

 and 667. 



t E. POUCHET: Contribution a 1'etude des matieres ex- 

 tractives de 1'urine, These, Paris, 1880; Ibid., C. rend, de I'Aca- 

 de>medesSc.,xcvu,p. 1560; BOUCHARD: C.rend.Soc.deBiolog., 

 Aug. 12, 1882. 



