566 



Miss Fraser and Mr. Gardner. Origin and [June 17, 



gave 0"0198 gramme compound = 0'0048 gramme cholesterol, a percentage 

 of 0'0136 ester cholesterol, and (by addition) 0-0877 total cholesterol. 



Table VI. — Percentages of Cholesterol in Blood. 



Rabbit. 



Total. 



Free. 



Ester. 



9. „ „ 



0 -0768 

 0 -0877 



0 -0649 

 0 -0741 



0 -0119 

 0 -0136 



Table VII. — Average Percentages of Cholesterol and Cholesterol Esters in 



the Blood. 



Extracted bran. 



Ordinary bran. 



Cholesterol and extracted bran. 



Total. 



Free. 



Ester. 



Total. 



Free. 



Ester. 



Total. 



Free. 



Ester. 



0 •0634 



0 -0453 



0 -0165 



0 -0822 



0 -0694 



0 -0128 



0 -0871 



0 -0573 



0 -0298 



These results confirm the conclusion arrived at in our former paper, that 

 the phytosterol of vegetable food can be absorbed during digestion and appears 

 in the blood stream, causing an increase in the sterol and sterol ester content, 

 but do not tell us whether the phytosterol gets into the blood as such, or is 

 changed into cholesterol or simply causes an increase in the amount of 

 cholesterol, since both animal and vegetable sterols fornr insoluble compounds 

 with digitonin. 



In order to obtain information on this point 16 rabbits were fed on a 

 mixture of oats, bran, cooked germ of wheat, and some free phytosterol for 

 six days. They were then killed, and the total blood (1074 grammes) 

 extracted in the manner already described. The ether extract was saponified, 

 and the crude cholesterol rccrystallised once from a small quantity of 

 90-per-cent. alcohol. The product thus obtained was slightly coloured and 

 weighed 0"73 gramme. This was dissolved in 7'r) c.c. ether, and the solution 

 mixed with 7"5 c.c. of a solution of 5 grammes of bromine in 100 c.c. of 

 glacial acetic acid. After standing for 1 hour in a freezing mixture, the 

 cholesterol dibromide which had separated oiit was filtered on the pump 

 and washed with 0'4 c.c. of glacial acetic acid and 0*4 c.c. of 50-per-cent. 

 acetic acid. This cholesterol dibromide weighed 0'75 gramme, and without 

 further ])urification melted at 115° C. (pure cholesterol dibromide melts 

 al 120° C). The washings were mixed with the main filtrate and 

 again allowed to stand in a freezing mixture. A small quantity of matter 



