268 



Dr. A. Dupre on the Elimination of Alcohol. 



"On the Elimination of Alcohol." By A. Dupre, Ph.D., Lec- 

 turer on Chemistry at Westminster Hospital. Communicated 

 by William Odling, M.B., F.R.S. Received November 16, 

 1871*. 



Previous to the year 1860 it was the generally received opinion that the 

 greater portion of any alcohol taken was oxidized in the system, and only a 

 small fraction eliminated unaltered. In that year, however, Messrs. Perrin 

 and Lallemand published an elaborate memoir on the subject, in which 

 they maintained that all, or at least nearly all, the alcohol taken is elimi- 

 nated unaltered. This opinion was soon very generally adopted, notwith- 

 standing the fact that Messrs. Perrin and Lallemand never succeeded in 

 recovering, from the excretions, more than a very small fraction of the 

 alcohol consumed, although very large doses were frequently given. How- 

 ever, the missing alcohol was easily accounted for as loss, occasioned by its 

 ready volatility. 



Soon after Dr. xlnstie took up the subject, and, on the strength of 

 numerous qualitative experiments, arrived at the conclusion, which he was 

 the first to publish in this country, that the origiually received opinion 

 was correct, viz. that a small portion only of any alcohol taken is elimi- 

 nated unaltered. After this, Dr. Thudichum and the author in this 

 country, and Ichulinus abroad, undertook a number of quantitative experi- 

 ments which proved that a minute fraction only of the alcohol taken is 

 eliminated through the kidneys. Owing to these researches, general 

 opinion gradually reverted to the original notion. 



Quite recently, however, Drs. Parkes and Wollowicz have published 

 several valuable memoirs on the action of brandy, alcohol, and wine on the 

 human body, in which they adopt, at least partially, the views of Messrs. 

 Perrin and Lallemand. But here also no quantitative results are given 

 which will account, even approximately, for the amount of alcohol supposed 

 to be eliminated. Drs. Parkes and Wollowicz believe that the elimination 

 of alcohol may go on for 5 or 6 days after the last dose of alcohol has been 

 taken ; and they express the opinion that Dr. Austie and the author, by 

 assuming that elimination practically ceases after 24 hours, had considerably 

 underestimated the amount actually eliminated. The author has thereby 

 been induced once more to investigate this subject. 



Assuming, then, for the sake of argument, that all the alcohol is elimi- 

 nated, and that such elimination takes 10 daysf, it would follow that if a 

 certain quantity of alcohol be taken daily, the amount eliminated would 

 increase from day to day until, from the 10th day onward, the quantity 



* Read January 25, 1872. (For abstract see p. 107.) 



t This seems the very utmost limit that can be conceded. In the numerous experi- 

 ments of Dr. Bence Jones and the author, on the passage of substances into and out of 

 the tissues, it was found that the elimination of lithiuni, for example, was complete in 

 5 to 6 days, while all elimination of quinine ceased after 2 days- In neither case did 

 any of the substance remain behind. 



