10 TOXINS AND ANTITOXINS. 



which he named eczemine* and which is also highly 

 toxic. 



In certain cases of cystinuria there are found in 

 the urine sulphurized ptomaines, and in measles 

 the urine contains an undetermined ptomaine, 

 rubedine, which is very poisonous. Typhotoxine, a 

 very toxic ptomaine, has been isolated from the 

 urine of typhoid patients ; erysipetine, a hardly less 

 toxic base, exists in the urine of erysipelatic sub- 

 jects; while spasmotoxine, tetanotoxine, and teta- 

 nine, exceedingly active alkaloids, are found in the 

 urines of tetanus patients. t 



As a general rule, all abnormal urines contain 

 toxic bases; the kidneys appear, in fact, to serve 

 as a means of eliminating the toxic products that 

 form in large quantity whenever, and for whatever 

 cause, the organism ceases to functionate nor- 

 mally, whether it be as a whole, or in any one of 

 its parts, t 



Leucomaines. 



The leucomaines are basic substances, nearly 

 allied to the ptomaines, but still more closely re- 

 lated to the ureides. They are formed directly 



* GRIFFITHS: C. rend, de I'Academie des Sciences, cxvi, p. 1206. 



t BRIEGER: Untersuchungen uber die Ptomaine, dritten Teil, 

 p. 93; Berichte d. D. Chem. Gesellschaft, 1886, p. 3159; 1887, 

 p. 69. 



J CHARRIN: Les poisons de I 'urine: Encyclopedic Leaute. 



ARMAND GAUTIER: Bull. Acad. de Medecin (2), xv, p. 115. 



