276 BACTERIAL POISONS. 



advanced far enough to etl'ect a splitting-up of the proteid 

 and carbohydrate molecules. Beiegbr and others have 

 triecl to seek an explanation of this toxicity by connecting 

 it with an eai-ly peptonization of the proteids brought about 

 by the action of ferments which are distributed throughout 

 the tissues, and which begin their activity immediately after 

 death. This poison has not been definitely isolated, but its 

 general properties and action have been studied by 

 Beiegee and Salkowski. The former prepared it by 

 digesting fibrin for twenty-four hours with gastric juice at 

 the temperature of the blood. The perfectly fresh peptone 

 thus obtained was evaporated to a syrupy residue, and this 

 was then extracted with boiling alcohol. The residue left 

 on evaporation of the alcoholic solution was digested for 

 some time with amyl alcohol, which on subsequent evapor- 

 ation gave amorphous brownish masses. This extract can 

 then be purified by neutral lead acetate. The filtrate, after 

 the removal of the lead by hydrogen sulphide, is repeat- 

 edly extracted with ether, then evaporated to dryness, and 

 extracted as before, with amyl alcohol. This final extract 

 is evaporated to drive off the alcohol, taken up with water, 

 and filtered. The colorless aqueous solution thus obtained 

 contains the poisonous substance, which, however, can only 

 with extreme difficulty be brought to crystallization in 

 vacuo. 



This poison, when in its purest condition, as shown by 

 its failure to give the biuret reaction, possesses a neutral 

 reaction. Its behavior to Millon's reagent is quite charac- 

 teristic : it gives a white precipitate, which on boiling 

 becomes intensely red. From this reaction, Beiegee is 

 inclined to regard this substance as a hydroxyl or an 

 amido-derivative of benzole. The ptomaine can be ex- 

 tracted from acid as well as alkaline solution by amyl 

 alcohol — more difficult in the cold than on heating. It 

 is absolutely insoluble in ether, benzol, and chloroform; 

 very soluble in water. It is not destroyed by boiling, by 

 passing hydrogen sulphide, or by strong alkalies; but is 

 destroyed, however, when the putrefaction lasts longer 

 than eight days. For its behavior to reagents, see 

 Table I. 



