276 



Dr. A. Dupre on the Elimination of Alcohol 



(with the exception of June the 4th and 5th), amounting altogether 

 during the 10 days to 360 oz. This urine was treated exactly as the 

 previous sample, and the amount of distillate finally collected was also 

 10 cub. centims ; these 10 cub. centims. possessed a specific gravity of 

 0*9988 at 15°-5 C. 



In Geissler's vaporimeter they showed a vapour-tension equivalent to 

 1*7 per cent, by weight of alcohol ; 3' 588 grms. of it, when oxidized &c, 

 gave 0'0307 grm. barium salt, yielding - 0278 grm. barium sulphate, and 

 contained therefore 53*24 per cent, of barium : here also the smell of the 

 escaping acetic acid was unmistakable. The volatile acid obtained from 

 another portion of these 10 cub. centims. gave with ferric chloride distinctly, 

 though but feebly, the well-known reaction of acetic acid. Finally, they 

 gave readily the iodoform test, as well as the green reaction, with bichro- 

 mate and strong sulphuric acid. 



On June the 22nd and 23rd the urine was again collected and examined, 

 no alcohol having been taken since May the 16th. The urine of the 22nd 

 yielded an amount of acid neutralizing 0"53 cub. centim. deci- normal soda, 

 the volatile acid produced from the distillate of the urine on the 23rd 

 neutralizing 0*55 cub. centim. of the same soda. Lastly, the urine was 

 collected on June the 26th, 27th, and 28th, no alcohol whatever having 

 been taken since May the 16th, The urine was repeatedly distilled, as usual, 

 the final distillate amounting to 5 cub. centims. ; these 5 cub. centims. 

 readily gave the iodoform test, as well as the green reaction, with bichromate 

 and strong sulphuric acid. 



It appears, therefore, that a substance is found in the urine after six 

 weeks' total abstinence, and even after an abstinence of two years, which 

 gives the reactions ordinarily employed for the detection of small quan- 

 tities of alcohol. Since it is impossible to assume that any elimination of 

 alcohol, due to alcohol which has been taken, could go on for a period of 

 six weeks, not to speak of two years, we must conclude that this substance 

 is a normal constituent of human urine, or at least may be obtained from 

 it by distillation with dilute acid &c. At first the author inclined to the 

 belief that this substance is actually ethylic alcohol, although the very- 

 small quantities dealt with did not allow of its separation. The final dis- 

 tillate obtained is, however, evidently a mixture ; and it would therefore be 

 unsafe to rely solely on the above test as a sufficient demonstration of the 

 presence of alcohol, more particularly as the proportion of alcohol, as cal- 

 culated from the specific gravity, differs widely from that derived from the 

 vapour-tension, and neither agree with the proportion as calculated from the 

 amount of acetic acid obtained by oxidation. Moreover, the distillate yields 

 the iodoform test far more readily than would correspond to its alcoholic 

 strength as calculated by any of the above processes, and the appearance 

 of the precipitate also differs somewhat from that produced in pure dilute 

 alcohol. However, while still engaged in the examination of this sub- 

 stance, the author learned that M. Lieben, to whom we owe the introduc- 



