TTBOTOXICOi^. 323 



duced in guinea-pigs on injection of large doses of this base. Dogs 

 and horses seem to be but slightly sensitive to the action of this poison. 



A Base, C^J^^'NJO^, was isolated by Guareschi in 1887 from 

 putrid fibrin. It occurs in the chloroform or ether extracts along 

 with the base Cj^H^jN, and is probably an amido acid (see page 269). 



A Base, CyHjgNjOj, was isolated by Pouchet in 1884. It is said 

 to form short, thick prisms which become brown when exposed to light. 



The platinochlorid, (CyHj5lSr20g.IICl)2PtCl^, crystallizes in pris- 

 matic needles which are insoluble in strong alcohol. For further 

 details in regard to this base, see page 320. 



A Base, Cj5H23NjO^, was obtained by Lepierre (1894) in small 

 quantity from poisonous cheese by precipitating, in the cold, with 

 acetate of copper. It is crystalline, bitter, inodorous, and shows 

 a slight acid reaction to phenol-phthalein ; is but slightly soluble in 

 water, soluble in alcohol. It is dextro-rotatory, is precipitated by 

 phosphomolybdic and picric acids, iodin in potassium iodid ; not by 

 tannin. When fed to guinea-pigs it produced diarrhoea. 0.05 g. 

 injected intravenously into a rabbit had no effect. The hydrochlorid 

 is very soluble and forms large needles. The platinum and gold 

 salts are crystalline. 



Tyrotoxicon has been found in poisonous cheese (Vaughan, 

 Wallace, Wolff, Wesener 1898), in poisonous ice cream (Vaughan, 

 Novy, Schearer, Ladd), in poisonous milk (Vaughan, Novy, Newton, 

 Wallace, Firth, Schearer), and in cream puffs (Stanton). The 

 method of separating this poison and its effect upon animals have 

 already been given with sufficient detail. Chemically, it is very 

 instable. When warmed with water to about 90°, it decomposes. 

 Hydrogen sulphid also decomposes it, therefore all attempts to 

 isolate it by precipitation with some base, such as mercury or lead, 

 and then removing the base with hydrogen sulphid have failed. Its 

 unstable character is illustrated by the fact that it may disappear 

 altogether within twenty-four hours from mUk, rich in the poison, 

 which is allowed to stand in an open beaker. 



With potassium hydrate it forms a compound which agrees in 

 crystalline form, chemical reactions, and the per cent, of potassium 

 which it contains, with the compound of diazobenzol and potassium 

 hydrate. This substance is best obtained from milk containing 

 tyrotoxicon as follows : The filtered milk, which is acid in reaction, 

 is neutralized with sodium carbonate, agitated with an equal volume 

 of ether, allowed to stand in a stoppered glass cylinder for twenty- 

 four hours, the ether removed, and allowed to evaporate spontane- 

 ously in an open dish. The aqueous residue is acidified with 



