Merycism Regarded in the Light of Atavic Tendency. 527 
paper. (To avoid an excess of the neutralizing reagent, it is 
best to use normal or empirical sodium carbonate solution, 
the total acidity for a certain quantity of stomach contents, 
having been estimated previously by titration. ) 
A precipitate indicates acid albumin. 
Boil and filter. 
3. Test filtrate for the cuproproteic reaction. 
If a rose-red coloration appears, add a few drops of acetic 
acid, and to the almost boiling filtrate from 2, add solid am- 
monium sulphate to saturation (97.5 parts of the salt to 100 
parts of stomach contents). 
A precipitate proves presence of albumoses. 
Filter after 24 hours. 
4. Test filtrate for cupro-proteic reaction: 
If a rose-red coloration appears, crystallize out some of the 
ammonium sulphate, and filter. If with nitric acid a yellow 
coloration, and with ferrocyanide of potassium and acetic 
acid no precipitate is obtained, the presence of peptones is 
proved. 
I call attention to the following points in this scheme :— 
The stomach contents are boiled at once after expression 
and filtration, so as to destroy the action of the gastric 
enzyme. 
In testing for derived albumins, the use of an indicator in 
Solution is not advisable on account of the color reactions to 
be made subsequently. 
The term acid albumin is substituted for syntonin as used 
by Ewald. The latter term is reserved by the overwhelming 
majority of physiologists and chemists for the substance 
formed by the action of dilute acids on muscle myosin 
(Hermann,* Gad and Heymans,ft Steiner,t Landois and Stir- 
ling,§ Foster,|| Roehmann,{ Beilstein**). We may well re- 
tain ** acid albumin ’”’ for a generic term. 
* Hermann, Lehrbuch der Physiologie, 1892. 
+ Gad & Heymans, Kurzes Lehrbuch der Physiologie des Menschen, 1892. 
t Steiner, Grundriss der Physiologie des Menschen, 1890. 
§ Landois & Stirling, Textbook of Human Physiology, 1886. 
| Foster, Textbook of Physiology, 1891. 
hmann, Anleitung zum Chemischen Arbeiten, 1890. 
** Beilstein, Handbuch der Organischen Chemie, 1890. 
