go  Detection  of  Blood  in  the  Urine.  { 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
January,  19 18. 
THE  DETECTION  OF  BLOOD  IN  THE  URINE,  FECAL 
MATTER  AND  PATHOLOGICAL  LIQUIDS. 
Thevenon,  pharmacist  aide-major,  and  Rolland,  pharmacist 
auxiliary  of  the  laboratory  of  the  Military  Hospital,  Chambrey, 
propose  a  new  procedure  for  the  detection  of  blood  in  secretions 
and  pathological  liquids,  based  on  the  reaction  with  pyramidon  in 
the  presence  of  oxidants,  the  reaction  being  manifested  by  a  violet 
coloration. 
The  reagents  employed  are : 
1.  Pyramidon    2.5  Gm. 
Alcohol,  90  per  cent   50  Cc. 
2.  Glacial  acetic  acid  .'.    1  Cc. 
Distilled  water    2  Cc. 
3.  Solution  of  hydrogen  dioxide  of  12  volumes. 
The  mode  of  procedure  for  the  detection  of  blood  in  urine  is  to 
take  3  or  4  Cc.  of  the  unfiltered  urine  and  an  equal  volume  of  the 
alcoholic  pyramidon  solution  and  6  or  8  drops  of  the  acetic  acid 
solution ;  after  agitating  the  mixture  add  5  or  6  drops  of  the  hydro- 
gen dioxide  solution. 
In  accordance  with  the  quantity  of  the  blood  in  the  urine  the 
coloration  appears  more  or  less  rapidly;  if  there  is  produced  im- 
mediately an  intense  violet  lilac  the  blood  present  is  abundant 
The  reaction  usually  takes  place  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
if  there  is  present  even  traces  of  blood;  the  blue-violet  tint  attains 
a  maximum  intensity  and  then  gradually  disappears. 
For  the  examination  of  fecal  matter,  a  small  quantity  of  the 
fecal  matter  is  rubbed  up  with  3  or  4  Cc.  of  distilled  water  and 
filtered,  the  filtrate  is  then  mixed  with  the  pyramidin  and  acetic 
acid  reagents  and  then  6  drops  of  the  solution  of  hydrogen  dioxide 
is  added.  In  the  presence  of  blood,  the  blue-violet  coloration  is 
observed  and  this  is  more  or  less  intense  according  to  the  amount 
of  blood  present. 
For  the  detection  of  blood  in  gastric  juice  or  in  various  patho- 
logical liquids  the  same  technique  is  followed. 
Concurrent  experiments  made  with  the  Meyer  reagent  and  with 
