1882.] Dr Latham, On the Composition of Albumen. 177 



and the nitrile acted upon by acids gives 



OH 2 {£=■ 0H ' + 2H S = CEJ^.NH, 



nitrile sarcosine 



The formation of aspartic and glutamic acids from the amido- 

 nitriles will be considered further on. 



If such a compound of cyanhydrins as the one I have indicated 

 for albumen were treated with dilute acids or alkalis, the changes 

 which would take place at once suggest an explanation of the 

 relationship which exists between myosin, acid albumen and alkali 

 albumen *. 



Having shown that the cyanhydrins can be obtained from the 

 various alcohols, the question naturally suggests itself, What is the 

 destination of ordinary alcohol when taken into the stomach? I 

 will not here discuss the many changes it may undergo in the 

 system, but as it is a well-known fact that life has been sustained, 

 under certain conditions, for a considerable period on alcohol and 

 water alone, the probability of its conversion into aldehyde and 

 cyanhydrin, so forming a constituent of albumen, and then being 

 further converted either (i) into lactic acid, and so into carbonic 

 acid and water, or (ii) into ethidene cyanamide and then into alanine, 

 or, as I shall show further on, into asparagine, seems to me to be a 

 justifiable assumption, and perfectly intelligible. 



On the Conversion of Leucine and Glycocine into Urea. 



Having shown how leucine and glycocine may be derived from 

 the alcohols, I will now discuss the question, What becomes of 

 them when introduced into the alimentary canal ? and turning to 

 physiological experiments, and pathological results, I find the 

 following. In his classical work on Physiology, Dr Foster states : 

 " One result of the action of the pancreatic juice is the formation of 

 considerable quantities of leucin and tyrosin. In dealing with the 

 statistics of nutrition, our attention will be drawn to the fact that 

 the introduction of proteid matter into the alimentary canal is 

 followed by a large and rapid excretion of urea, suggesting the 

 idea that a certain part of the total quantity of the urea normally 

 secreted comes from a direct metabolism of the proteids of the 

 food, without these really forming a part of the tissues of the body. 

 We do not know to what extent normal pancreatic digestion has for 



* See Foster's Physiology. 3rd Ed. pp. 02 and G51-3. 



