1870.] 



Alcohol on the Human Body. 



387 



The Pulmonary Excretion. 

 On this point we made no experiments. The method of Professor von 

 Pettenkofer has accustomed physiologists to such accuracy in the deter- 

 mination of the elimination of carbon, and there is so general a feeling that 

 this method, as dealing with long periods, is the best that can be employed, 

 that, as we had not Pettenkofer's appliances, we preferred doing nothing to 

 falling short of a perfectly satisfactory and unquestionable result. 



The Elimination of Alcohol. 



The question as to the destruction or otherwise of alcohol in the body is 

 very difficult to answer, owing to the impossibility of collecting all the 

 excreta. The experiments of Schulinus, and especially of Anstie and 

 Dupre, seem to show clearly that only a small part can be recovered from 

 the body of animals or from the excreta. The latter authors, by using the 

 bichromate of potassium and sulphuric-acid solution as a colour-test, and 

 also by converting the alcohol into acetic acid and estimating it by an al- 

 kaline solution, could only prove the elimination of very small quantities 

 by the urine ; and the elimination was soon accomplished. 



Owing to the number of experiments we had to make, we found we could 

 not attempt to solve this very difficult question of elimination ; and we will 

 here merely briefly give the qualitative observations which alone we were 

 able to make, and which, as far as they go, confirm the results arrived at 

 by Perrin and Lallemand, Edward Smith, and others. 



We used for this purpose the chromate test proposed by Masing, and 

 used by most observers since. 



Elimination by the Lungs. 



During the first or water period, the man breathed several times daily, 

 for 15 minutes at a time, through the solution of bichromate of potassium 

 in sulphuric acid, without any change of colour being produced. On the 

 fifth day (water) he breathed through a glass tube surrounded by a freez- 

 ing mixture. About 1*7 cub. centim. of fluid were obtained, which gave no 

 green reaction with the test. On the first day of alcohol (1 fluid ounce) 

 no alcohol was indicated in the breath by the test ; on the second day 

 (2 fluid ounces) the test was slightly affected ; on the four following days 

 (4, 6, 8, and 8 ounces of alcohol) markedly so, but with variable intensity at 

 different times of the day. 



On the last day of alcohol the water in the breath was condensed during 

 15 minutes, in a glass tube surrounded by ice ; '7 cub. centim. of fluid 

 were obtained, which gave a strong green reaction with the bichromate test. 



On the following day breathing had no effect on the fluid. 



During the brandy days the breath always produced a green tint, and 

 usually it was very marked. 



We did not attempt any determination of quantity by this colour test ; 

 and Anstie has pointed out that the bichromate test is so delicate that the 



vol. xvm. 2 G 



