834 BACTERIAL POISONS. 



betaine (pp. 249 and 343), and Pouchet, in 1880, announced 

 the presence in the same secretion of allantoin, carnine (page 

 344), and an alkaloidal base, which, however, was not 

 obtained at that time in sufficient quantity to permit a 

 determination of its character. Subsequently he succeeded 

 in isolating this- base as well as another closely related 

 body, both of which will be described in their proper 

 place. Gautiee has been engaged for a number of years 

 in the study of the leucoma'ines occurring in fresh muscle 

 tissue, and he has succeeded in isolating several new 

 compounds. 



A number of these substances are credited with possess- 

 ing an intensely poisonous action, and if such is the case 

 it is very evident that any undue accumulation of such 

 bases in the system, resulting from an interference in the 

 elimination, may give rise to serious disturbances. The 

 amount of these substances present in the daily yield of 

 the urine is very small — so small, indeed, that we must 

 rather look upon this small quantity as having escaped 

 oxidation in the body. It is well known that the living 

 tissues possess an enormous oxidizing and reducing power, 

 and, according to Gautier, there is constantly going on 

 in the normal tissues of the body a cycle of changes — the 

 formation of leucomaines and their subsequent destruction 

 by oxidation, before tliey have accumulated in sufficient 

 quantity to produce poisonous effects. 



The following method was employed by Gautiee in 

 his study of the leucomaines of muscle tissue: The 

 finely divided fresh beef-meat or the Liebig's meat extract 

 is treated with twice its weight of water, containing 0.25 

 gra mm e of oxalic acid, and one to two e.c. of commercial 

 peroxide of hydrogen per litre. The purpose of these 

 precautions is to prevent fermentation. At the end of 

 twenty-four hours the liquid is raised to the boiling-point, 

 then filtered through linen, and the residue is thoroughly 

 squeezed. The filtrate is again raised to the boiling-point 

 in order to coagulate any remaining albumin, and finally 

 filtered through paper. The clear liquid thus obtained is 

 evaporated in a vacuum at a temperature not exceeding 



