102 



Dr. S. Martin. The Tome Action of the [May 16, 



5. Copper sulphate gave a precipitate, soluble in excess of the 

 reagent. 



6. Copper sulphate and potash gave a " biuret " reaction. 



7. Mercuric chloride gave a precipitate, insoluble in excess of the 

 reagent. 



These reactions are similar to those already described by me in the 

 paper quoted ('Roy. Soc. Proc.,' vol. 42) with the exception of the 

 behaviour of nitric acid. I stated in my previous paper that nitric 

 acid gave a precipitate in a solution of the albumose, only in the pre- 

 sence of sodium chloride. This still holds true for dilute solutions of 

 the albumose ; in strong solutions, nitric acid gives a precipitate, even 

 if the neutral salt be absent or present in very small quantities. ' 



Fatal Dose of Albumose. — In my earlier experiments I simply 

 weighed the quantity of dry powder to be injected ; but this is not so 

 accurate a method as the one I adopted later. About 0*5 gram of 

 the powder was dissolved in sterilised normal saline solution (0'75 per 

 cent.) and filtered. The amount of proteid dissolved in the filtrate 

 was estimated by dropping a measured quantity of the liquid (1 c.c.) 

 into about 30 c.c. of absolute alcohol, which precipitates both the 

 proteid and the small amount of salt in solution. The precipitate and 

 liquid were well boiled together, the precipitate removed, dried at 

 110° C, and weighed. The weight, deducting the amount of salt, 

 equals the quantity of proteid present in solution. This I found the 

 only really accurate method of estimating the dose of proteid used in 

 inoculation. 



In one experiment, 1*3 milligram of albumose was injected under 

 the skin of a rat weighing 197 grams, being a dose of about 

 6'6 milligrams per kilo, of body weight. The animal was very 

 ill 49^- hours after inoculation, but completely recovered. Double the 

 above dose, viz., 2'6 milligrams, was injected under the skin of a 

 rat weighing 134 grams (19 - 4 milligrams per kilo, of body weight), 

 but no poisonous symptoms were noticed. A fatal result is, however, 

 noticed if the dose be as large as 60 milligrams per kilo, of body 

 weight ; thus a dose of 10 milligrams killed a rat weighing 167 grams 

 within 20 hours. 



Symptoms. — -The symptoms produced by the albumose closely 

 resemble those noticed when the globulin is hypodermically injected. 

 There is gradually increasing weakness, with rapid breathing, without 

 the occurrence of convulsions or any paralysis. 



On the temperature of pigeons the albumose has the same effect as 

 the globulin. In one experiment death was caused in a pigeon by 

 the albumose in 11 hours and 20 minutes after inoculation. The 

 temperature., which at the time of inoculation was 107 , 6° F., fell in 

 4 hours and 5 minutes 4*6°, i.e., to 103° F., after which it began to 

 rise. 



