Lecithin. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\      April,  1914. 
Manasse,  Abderhalden  and  Peritz  in  the  blood;  according  to 
Miescher  in  pus ;  according  to  Gobley,  Liebreich,  Thudichum  and 
Koch  in  the  brain ;  according  to  Dunham,  Rubow,  Krehl,  Nerking, 
Heffter,  Baskoff,  Noel  Paton,  MacLean,  BischofT  and  others  in  the 
heart  (cardiac  muscle),  kidneys,  suprarenal  glands,  liver,  lungs  and 
spinal  cord,  and  according  to  Frankel  in  the  pancreas,  muscles,  tes- 
ticles and  submaxillary  gland  as  well;  according  to  Chevalier  and 
Koch  in  nerve  tissue  (sciatic)  ;  according  to  Glikin,  Rolle  and 
Otolski  in  bone  marrow ;  according  to  Thudichum,  Long  and  Gep- 
hart  in  bile;  according  to  Dezani,  Vacheron  and  Miescher  in  the 
sperm ;  according  to  Donath  in  the  cerebrospinal  fluid ;  according  to 
Wallis  and  Scholberg  in  ascitic  fluid,  etc.  Further,  according  to 
Hoppe-Seyler,  it  is  a  component  of  caviare;  according  to  Burow, 
Tolmatscheff,  Koch,  Vageler,  Siegfeld,  Glikin,  Dornic  and  Daire 
and  Marre  it  is  a  component  of  milk  and  consequently  of  butter,  as 
has  been  proved  by  Krampelmeyer,  Jaeckl  and  Bordas.  The  per- 
centage of  lecithin  indicated  by  the  various  authors  in  human  or 
animal  organs  is  as  follows : 
Blood  0.2  per  cent. 
Blood  corpuscles  0.46  per  cent. 
per  cent.) 
Brain  16  per  cent. 
Heart  4.5  per  cent. 
Cardiac  muscle  12.5  per  cent. 
Kidneys  8.5  per  cent. 
Suprarenal  gland  2.5  per  cent. 
Liver  4.3  per  cent 
Bile  0.15  per  cent. 
Lung  1.5  per  cent. 
Spinal  cord  11  per  cent. 
Marrow  3  per  cent. 
Pancreas  0.5  per  cent. 
Thymus  7.5  per  cent. 
Human  fat  0.05  per  cent. 
Muscles  0.8  per  cent. 
Testicles  1  per  cent. 
Submaxillary  gland  1  per  cent. 
Nerve  tissue  17  per  cent. 
(of  the  dry  tissue) 
Sciatic  nerve  33  per  cent. 
(of  the  dry  tissue) 
Sperm  1.5  per  cent. 
Milk  0.06  per  cent. 
Butter  0.17  per  cent. 
Yolk  of  egg  12  per  cent. 
Rabbit  (living)  0.5  per  cent. 
Hedgehog  (living)  0.8  per 
cent. 
1.8 
In  the  vegetable  kingdom  lecithin  is  also  very  frequently  found. 
It  was  first  discovered  in  plants  by  Knop  in  i860,  but  its  general  dis- 
tribution throughout  the  vegetable  kingdom  was  first  established 
by  Topler.  It  is  always  abundantly  present  in  seeds,  buds  and  young 
shoots,  a  fact  which  indicates  its  great  importance  in  the  growth  of 
