103 



Dr. A. Dupre on the Elimination of Alcohol. [Jan. 2o, 



oxidized and the rest be eliminated unaltered ; or, lastly, all may be elimi- 

 nated again unaltered. Assuming the last to be the case, it would follow 

 that, if a certain quantity of alcohol be taken daily, the amount eliminated 

 would increase from day to day until, at last, the amount eliminated daily 

 would equal the daily consumption, be this time 5, 10, or more days. If, 

 on the other hand, all the alcohol consumed is either oxidized or elimi- 

 nated within 24 hours, no increase in the daily elimination will take place 

 in consequence of the continuance of the alcohol diet. Guided by these 

 considerations, the author undertook two series of experiments, in which 

 the amount of alcohol eliminated by both kidneys and lungs was carefully 

 estimated. The analytical processes employed are described in detail. 



First series. — After a total abstinence from alcohol for 11 days, the 

 urine and breath were examined, after which, from the 12th to the 24th 

 day, both inclusive, the author took 112 cub. centims. of brandy daily (equal 

 to 48*68 grms. absolute alcohol). The urine and breath were examined 

 on the 12th, the 18th, and the 24th day. The urine was also examined 

 during the 5 days following the cessation of the alcohol diet. The analy- 

 tical results obtained are given in a Table. 



Second series. — After having again abstained from the use of alcohol, 

 in any shape, during 10 days, the author took 56 cub. centims. of brandy 

 (same as above) at 10 a.m. on March the 29th. The urine was collected 

 for every 3 hours up to the 12th, from the 12th to the 24th hour, and 

 during the next succeeding 2 days. The alcohol eliminated in the breath was 

 also estimated during the same intervals. The analytical results are also 

 arranged in a tabular form. 



The results of both series may be summed up as follows : — 



The amount of alcohol eliminated per day does not increase with the 

 continuance of the alcohol diet ; therefore all the alcohol consumed daily 

 must, of necessity, be disposed of daily ; and as it certainly is not elimi- 

 nated within that time, it must be destroyed in the system. 



The elimination of alcohol following the ingestion of a dose, or doses, 

 of alcohol ceases in from 9 to 24 hours after the last dose has been taken. 



The amount of alcohol eliminated, in both breath and urine, is a minute 

 fraction only of the amount of alcohol taken. 



In the course of these experiments, the author found that, after six 

 weeks of total abstinence, and even in the case of a teetotaller, a substance 

 is eliminated in the urine, and perhaps also in the breath, which, though 

 apparently not alcohol, gives all the reactions ordinarily used for the de- 

 tection of traces of alcohol, viz. it passes over with the first portious of the 

 distillate, it yields acetic acid on oxidation, gives the emerald-green reac- 

 tion with bichromate of potassium and strong sulphuric acid, yields iodo- 

 form, and its aqueous solution has a lower specific gravity and a higher 

 vapour tension than pure water. The presence of a substance in human 

 urine and the urine of various animals which yields iodoform, but is not 

 alcohol, had already been discovered by M. Lieben. The quantity pre- 



