1880.] 



Colouring-matters of Human Urine. 



211 



band is replaced by another nearer the red end of the spectrum, as in 

 the case of febrile urobilin. Now, from another part of the same 

 urine, tvhich has not been thus treated, we can, by precipitation with 

 lead acetate, and subsequent treatment with acidulated alcohol and 

 chloroform, obtain normal urobilin. It therefore appears that it is not 

 by the oxidation of the chromogen of febrile urobilin* that normal 

 urobilin is obtained, but that this body {i.e., normal urobilin) is 

 present in the urine as such, or part may be present as its own chro- 

 mogen. That such is the case will appear to be likely, when I 

 come to describe the artificial production of normal urobilin from 

 hsematin. 



TJrolmmatin. A Pigment excreted in the Urine of a case of Subacute 

 Rheumatism. — The patient in whose urine this pigment occurred, was 

 suffering from subacute rheumatism, and was taking 15 grs. of the 

 salicylate of soda three times a-day. This pigment is of great 

 interest as it can be prepared with ease artificially from heematin ; and 

 as it appears to be incapable of production from bilirubin, I have 

 named it urohasmatin. The urine was a dark reddish-yellow colour, 

 but did not contain blood or bile pigments as proved by appropriate 

 tests. It gave a black band 63 — 74, or wave-length 507 to 480 ; with 

 caustic soda, this band was replaced by another of intensity (3 or 7, 

 from wave-length 513 to 491. No other bands were noticed in the 

 urine itself. 



1,000 cub. centims. of the urine were taken and precipitated with 

 neutral and basic acetate of lead, and afterwards treated in the same 

 manner as that already described,! for the isolation of normal 

 urobilin. The chloroformic solution gave the remarkable spectrum 

 seen in Chart I, sp. 6, and was the colour of dark golden sherry. In a 

 thinner layer another band, a, made its appearance, reading wave-length 

 507 to 484. (Cf. sp. 8.) When the chloroform was distilled off, the 

 residue was seen to be a dark-brown colour, and was soluble in alcohol, 

 giving a red solution, and sp. 7, Chart I, and sp. 8. 



Ammonia did not cause the disappearance of the band at F when 

 added to the alcoholic solution, but acted like caustic soda, namely, by 

 causing another band, nearer the red than was the original one at F, 

 to appear. 



Caustic soda made the fluid orange in colour, and shifted some of 

 the bands very slightly, as shown in Chart I, sp. 9, but the replace- 

 ment of that at ¥ was well marked, sp. 10. 



* It is this chromogen which becomes oxidised when urine begins to decompose, 

 so that stale healthy urine may contain febrile urobilin as such, and give its 

 spectrum. 



f The acidulated alcohol extract gives almost the same spectrum as that got by 

 treating artificially prepared normal urobilin, reduced by means of sodium amalgam, 

 with sulphuric acid. (See sp. 5, Chart I, and cf. sp. 11, Chart I, and sp. 12, 

 Chart I, and Chart III, sp. 17.) 



