204 PTOMAINES. 



THE PTOMAINES. 



The now extensive literature of these substances may be most con- 

 veniently and inclusively indicated by reference to the following 

 publications. Selmi (to whom the name ptomaine is due), Sidle 

 ptomaine od alcaloidi cadaverici. Bologna, 1878. Gautier, Compt. 

 Rend. T. xciv. (1882), p. 1119. Guareschi e Mosso, Arch. ital. de 

 Biol. T. ii. (1883), p. 367; HI. (1883), p. 241. Abstr. in Jn. f. 

 prakt. Chem. (N.F.), Bd. xxvii. S. 425; xxvm. S. 504. Brieger, 

 Zt. f. physiol. Chem. Bd. vn. (1883), S. 274. Ber. d. d. chem. Qexell. 

 Bd. xvi. (1883), Sn. 1186, 1405. E. u. H. Salkowski, Ibid. S. 1191. 

 Brieger, Ibid. Bd. xvn. (1884), Sn. 515, 1137, 2741; xix. (1886), S. 

 3119. Ueber Ptomaine, i., u. Berlin, 1885; HI. 1886: gives litera- 

 ture to date. See resume with references by O. Schultz, Biol. Centralb. 

 Bd. vi. (1886-87), Sn. 685, 726, 739. Gautier, Bull. deVacad. de 

 med. Jan. 12, 19, 1886 (largely on the leukomaines). Udranszky u. 

 Baumann, Zt. f. physiol. Chem. Bd. xm. (1889), S. 562. Brieger, 

 Virchow's Arch. Bd. cxv. (1889), S. 483. The last contains a most 

 useful list of known ptomaines, with empirical and constitutional 

 formulae, name of discoverer with date of discovery, sources, action, 

 and characteristic reactions. 



Although the substance to which the above name has been 

 given (from Tn-oi/Aa, a corpse) are now known to belong chiefly to 

 the class of compounds called amines, 1 so that they provide no 

 chemical sequence to the bodies previously described, their charac- 

 teristic production during the putrefactive decomposition of animal 

 tissues seems to make this a suitable place for treating of them. 



The ptomaines as a group may be said to closely resemble the 

 class of substances long known under the name of alkaloids and 

 obtained from plant tissues. The resemblance is shown not 

 merely in their chemical constitution, but more obviously in their 

 similar solubilities in various fluids, in their general behaviour 

 towards reagents, and in some cases even in their specific reactions, 

 and more especially in their frequently powerful (poisonous) action 

 on the animal organism, the actions of certain ptomaines being 

 almost identical with those of certain vegetable alkaloids. The 

 ptomaines may therefore be regarded as alkaloids of animal origin. 

 The close similarity of- the two classes of substances has hence 

 endowed the ptomaines with very considerable interest from a 

 medico-legal point of view, in virtue of the not infrequent use of 

 the vegetable-alkaloids for criminal purposes and the now obvious 

 possibility that the detection of alkaloids in the corpse may afford 

 no reliable information as to the administration of the same dur- 



1 An amine is, strictly speaking, a compound ammonia in which one or more 

 atoms of hydrogen have been replaced by some oxygen-free radical. Several of the 

 ptomaines, however, contain oxygen in their molecule, as do also many of the vegetable 

 alkaloids. The constitution of those ptomaines which contain oxygen has not in 

 most cases as yet been as definitely determined as has that of those which contain 

 uone. 



