10 
Foa and Pellacani (32) in 1883 confirmed Pellacanifi earlier results 
and removed; as they supposed; the infiuence of fibrin ferment by 
heating the extracts to 60°. They found the toxic substance to 
be very soluble in water and alcohol, but rather insoluble in ether 
and chloroform. lYhereupon they purified the water extract as fol- 
lows: The capsules were minced and put in boiling water; after a 
time the water was decanted, evaporated to dryness, and the residue 
treated with alcohol, the almost colorless alcohol solution evaporated 
to drvness and again taken up with water, thus leaving behind most 
of the unpurities. Upon evaporating this solution a dark residue 
of a peculiar odor and of very acid reaction was obtained. One 
gram of this substance injected into dogs caused death, whereas 
the extracted pulp of the capsule was relatively inert. These inves- 
tigators came to the conclusion that there is an active poison in the 
adrenal gland independent of fibrin ferment which causes extreme 
prostration, collapse, motor and sensory paralysis, and death from 
asphyxia because of paralysis of the medulla oblongata, especially 
the respiratory center. After examining the original articles of 
these early writers it seems that more credit should be given to their 
work than is usually found in literature, for they certainly described 
symptoms of poisoning very characteristic of adrenalin. 
Krukenberg (44) (1885) assumed that the substance giving color 
with ferric chloride is not the chromogenic substance of Yulpian, 
but more likely pyrocatechin accompanying the chromogen. 
Marino-Zuco (52) (1888) after freeing 50 capsules from fat, ground 
and macerated them in 1,000 c. c. of distilled water heated in a 
water bath for several hours. The nfixture was strained, evapo- 
rated on a water bath, and filtered, the resulting solution being slightly 
acid and red in color. This extract, diluted to 200 c. c., and 1 c. c. 
injected subcutaneously into rabbits, caused death in five minutes. 
If, however, the extract were treated with acid or alkali, it was in- 
effective, even in large doses. The presence of neurine alone does 
not explain the toxic action of the pure extract, but in combination 
vfith very acid phosphates it may, at least when made artificially, 
prove very toxic. 
Guamieri and Marino-Zuco (35) (1888) made an extract of 10 
beef suprarenals in 60 c. c. of water and injected 1 c. c. into medium- 
sized rabbits, causing death m a very short time. Treatment of 
the extract vfith acids and other reagents lessened the activity of 
the extract when intravenously injected. From these results they 
concluded the toxicity of the aciueous extracts was due primarily to 
neurine (which I believe is now generally conceded to have been 
choline) and organic phosphates. 
It is interesting to know that Dzierzgowski (27 and 28) as early 
as 1893 synthesized a number of catechol derivatives closely related 
