366 
Pepsin  in  Urine. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1889. 
peptic  digestion  are  formed ;  protoalburuose,  heteroalbumose,  deutero- 
albumose,  and  peptone.  (2.)  If,  however,  the  solution  contain  but 
little  ferment,  the  only  products  of  digestion  are  acid-albumin  and 
small  quantities  of  the  primary  (proto-  and  hetero-)  albumoses;  and, 
indeed,  these  products  can  be  obtained  by  the  action  of  0*25  per  cent, 
hydrochloric  acid  without  any  pepsin  or  raw  fibrin  ;  the  same  strength 
of  acid  has  no  action  on  boiled  fibrin  ;  but  1  per  cent,  hydrochloric 
acid  acts  energetically  by  itself  on  boiled  fibrin,  forming  even  deute- 
roalbumose  and  peptone. 
The  influence  of  small  quantities  of  various  salts  on  tryptic  diges- 
tion has  been  investigated  by  Nasse  (Pflilger's  Archiv.,  xi.),  Heiden- 
hain  (ibid.,  x.),  and  A.  Schmidt  (ibid.,  xiii.).  This  same  question  is 
here  investigated  for  peptic  digestion.  A  number  of  specimens,  each 
containing  the  same  amount  of  artificial  gastric  juice  and  fibrin,  were 
taken,  with  different  amounts  of  various  salts,  and  the  time  noted  in 
which  solution  of  the  fibrin  occurred.  A  concentration  equal  to  0*02 
per  cent,  of  various  urates  was  found  to  exert  inhibiting  influence  on 
the  action  of  pepsin ;  much  smaller  percentages  (0*004)  of  sodium 
sulphate,  potassium  sulphate,  ammonium  sulphate,  and  magnesium 
sulphate  produced  the  same  effect,  whilst  sodium  chloride  and  sodium 
phosphate  only  exerted  a  similar  action  when  present  to  the  extent  of 
001  per  cent. 
The  urine  of  various  patients  was  investigated  as  follows:  The 
urine  was  divided  into  three  parts  :  (1)  was  diluted  with  0.25  per  cent, 
hydrochloric  acid  in  the  proportion  of  1  of  urine  to  3  of  dilute  acid ; 
(2)  fresh,  raw  fibrin  was  added  to  extract  the  ferment,  the  fibrin  was 
then  washed  and  digested  in  0*25  per  cent,  hydrochloric  acid  ;  (3)  was 
the  control  specimen ;  it  was  treated  as  in  (1),  but  was  also  boiled, 
fibrin  being  then  added  to  each.  Trypsin  was  sought  for  but  never 
found.  In  fever  patients,  pepsin  seems  never  absent  from  the  urine  ; 
this  includes  typhoid  fever,  in  which  some  have  failed  to  find  the  fer- 
ment. Also  in  severe  cases  of  stomach  disease,  including  cancer,  pep- 
sin was  often  found.  No  diagnostic  value  can  therefore  be  attached 
to  the  presence  or  absence  of  pepsin  in  the  urine  in  cases  of  disease. 
Iodized  glycerin  is  a  mixture  of  tincture  of  iodine  and  glycerin,  which 
considered  by  Dr.  G.  Hammond  to  be  more  effectual  than  the  tincture,  is 
possibly  because  the  evaporation  of  the  iodine  is  prevented. — Jour.  Am. 
Med.  Assoc.,  March  9,  1889. 
