1870.] 



Action of Claret on the Human Body. 



87 



Looking to the mean weight of all the stools, to the particular circum- 

 stances of the 10th day's stool, and the very nearly equal percentage of 

 nitrogen on the 10th and 19th days, it may be concluded that the wine did 

 not affect the intestinal discharges either as regards quantity or nitrogen. 



6. The Elimination of Alcohol. 



As in the former series, the numerous experiments we had to perform 

 prevented us from thoroughly investigating this difficult problem. We 

 tested the appearance of alcohol in the excreta by the bichromate-of-potas- 

 sium test as before. The general results were as follows : — 



Elimination by the breath. 



In the first period the bichromate test was not tried on the first day ; 

 it was very slightly changed in colour on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th days, 

 when the breath was blown through the test for 15 minutes about 2 

 o'clock. On the remaining 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th days, no 

 change was produced. On the 1st day of wine after dinner, the colour 

 became green in eight minutes, on the 2nd day in six minutes, and subse- 

 quently a little sooner. On the 16th and subsequent days (when the wine 

 was doubled) the change was much greater. In the evening, except in 

 one or two cases, no change was produced. On the 21st day (1st day 

 after wine) and subsequent days there was no alteration. 



The breath was condensed by a freezing-mixture on the 9th day about 

 4 o'clock ; about J cub. centim. was collected ; it was tested for alcohol by 

 the Iodoform test, but none was found ; it was unfortunately not examined 

 by the bichromate test. On the 20th day (20 ounces of wine) the breath 

 was again condensed ; it gave an immediate marked green reaction with 

 the bichromate test. On the 22nd day (the 2nd after the wine) it was 

 again condensed, and gave still an immediate reaction, though not so 

 marked as on the 20th day ; so that two days after the wine was left off, 

 some was passing off by the lungs, though it was not detected by merely 

 breathing through the test. 



On the 25th and 28th days, when the breath was again condensed, no 

 effect was produced on the bichromate test. 



Elimination by the skin. 



In the former series of experiments, when the perspiration was obtained 

 by putting the arm in an hermetically sealed glass jar, no effect was pro- 

 duced in the bichromate test by the sweat before alcohol had been taken. 



But on this occasion, when 12 cub. centims. of perspiration were collected 

 in four hours on the 5th da}', the bichromate test was at once made green. 

 No alcohol was detected by the Iodoform test, but we are not certain if 

 this can be relied upon. This was on the 1 7th May, and no alcoholic 

 liquid had been taken since the 25th April. 



