Am"ju°iy?i8Marm"}        Some  Recent  Sugar  Reactions.  361 
fected  by  the  safranine  test,  will  not  differ  in  its  action  when  allowed 
to  undergo  ammoniacal  decomposition. 
In  the  examination  of  albuminous  urine,  the  safranine  mixture  is 
in  some  instances  decolorized  only  after  prolonged  boiling.  The 
writer  has,  however,  found  in  a  number  of  instances  that  the  urine, 
after  complete  separation  of  albumin  by  coagulation,  will  decolorize 
safranine  solution  as  readily  as  the  original  urine. 
As  pointed  out,  peptone  exerts  no  reducing  action  upon  this  test. 
The  fact  that  milk  sugar  behaves  in  a  manner  similar  to  glucose 
must  be  remembered,  when  examining  the  urine  of  nursing  women. 
Action  upon  Abnormal  Urine. — As  in  the  case  of  the  copper  tests, 
the  question  arises — does  urine,  passed  after  the  administration  of 
certain  drugs,  possess  any  action  upon  the  safranine  test  ? 
If  such  should  be  the  case,  the  result  obtained  must  be  regarded 
with  as  much  conservatism  as  the  reduction  of  Fehling's  solution 
under  like  conditions. 
To  determine  this,  the  writer  subjected  a  number  of  specimens  of 
urine,  some  apparently  normal,  and  others  which  had  been  passed 
after  internal  administration  of  certain  remedies,  to  the  action  of 
the  safranine  test. 
He  has  found  in  almost  every  instance  that,  whenever  Fehling's 
solution  was  strongly  reduced  by  such  specimens,  the  safranine  test 
was  also  affected  in  a  similar  manner,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree. 
The  following  is  the  result  of  an  examination  of  forty-seven  speci- 
mens of  urine  obtained  from  various  sources. 
Twelve  specimens  gave  no  reaction  whatever.  Most  of  these 
were  normal,  examined  for  insurance,  which  gave  little  or  no  reaction 
with  Fehling's  solution. 
The  other  thirty-five  specimens  all  reacted  more  or  less  to  the 
safranine  test. 
Five  samples  had  a  diabetic  history ;  one  contained  milk  sugar. 
Of  the  rest,  the  history  was  either  not  known  or  they  were  passed 
after  the  administration  of  certain  drugs. 
The  administration  of  the  following  drugs  was  recorded : 
Salol  (6  cases),  salicylates  (7  cases),  phenacetine  (3  cases),  oil  of 
turpentine  (3  cases),  antipyrine  (3  cases),  creosote  (5  cases),  trional 
<(i  case),  piperazine  (1  case). 
Of  the  last-mentioned  drug,  one  sample  of  urine  was  obtained, 
which  did  not  respond  to  the  safranine  test. 
