Lecithin. 
J  Am.  Jour,  tharm. 
\       April,  1914. 
to  demonstrate  the  presence  of  phosphoric  acid  in  ethereal  and 
alcoholic  extracts  of  the  faeces,  he  concluded  that  lecithin  or  its 
decomposition  products  were  absorbed  and  used  up  by  the  organism. 
In  agreement  with  this  conclusion  is  the  fact  investigated  by  him 
that  the  amount  of  phosphoric  acid  in  the  urine  is  substantially  in- 
creased after  the  ingestion  of  lecithin.  Glycerophosphoric  acid  is 
absorbed  from  the  intestine  in  the  form  of  a  salt,  and  is  not,  accord- 
ing to  Hasebrok,  further  broken  down  into  glycerin  and  phos- 
phoric acid.  Grosser  and  Husler,  on  the  other  hand,  think  it  im- 
probable that  glycerophosphoric  acid  passes  directly  from  the  intes- 
tine into  the  organism,  as  they  succeeded  in  isolating  a  ferment,  the 
so-called  glycerophosphotase,  from  the  intestinal  and  renal  cells 
which  splits  up  glycerophosphoric  acid  without  leaving  a  residue. 
They  therefore  assume  that  lecithin  is  completely  broken  down  in 
the  intestine  and  is  built  up  again  from  its  elements  in  the  tissues. 
The  fatty  acids,  like  the  fats  taken  in  with  the  food,  are  partially 
absorbed  in  the  form  of  salts  of  fatty  acids  and  partially  excreted. 
Choline  is  further  broken  down  with  formation  of  carbonic 
acid,  ammonia  and  methane.  As  lecithin  is  said  to  be  com- 
paratively readily  broken  down,  it  is  probably  safe  to  assume  that 
lecithin  is  not  absorbed  as  such  in  the  intestine ;  but  this  does  not 
prove  that  it  may  not  be  partially  absorbed  unaltered  and  carried 
to  the  circulation.  Miescher's  observation  on  Rhine  salmon  is  gen- 
erally cited  as  a  typical  example  of  lecithin  formation  in  the  animal 
organism.  According  to  this,  a  comparatively  large  amount  of 
lecithin  is  formed  in  the  sexual  organs  of  these  fishes  during  the 
hunger  period,  which  is  said  to  occur  as  they  wander  up  stream. 
The  necessary  phosphorus  is  presumably  supplied  by  certain  muscles 
of  the  fish.  Paton  also  attempted  to  prove  that  in  salmon  inorganic 
phosphorus  changes  into  organic  phosphorus  ;  however,  the  asser- 
tions of  Paton  and  Miescher  can  only  be  accepted  if  it  be  proved 
that  during  their  sojourn  in  fresh  water  these  fishes  really  take  in 
no  nourishment.  This  was  doubted  by  Putter.  Rohmann,  from 
experiments  on  mice,  concludes  that  the  animal  organism  is  capable 
of  forming  lecithin,  for  the  mice  increased  and  continued  their  de- 
velopment on  lecithin-free  food.  But  in  similar  experiments  car- 
ried out  by  Stepp  and  Rohl  the  experimental  animals  perished. 
According  to  Rohl,  mice  fed  exclusively  on  rice  always  perish 
in  a  few  weeks,  whereas  on  the  addition  of  a  small  amount  of 
lecithin  their  development  continues  normally.    He  therefore  con- 
