OBSERVATIONS 
ON SOME OF THE 
PRODUCTS OF THE PUTREFACTION 
OF 
»ir 
AND 
THEIR RELATION TO PATHOLOGY. 
BY WILLIAM K. SULLIVAN, PH.D., M.E.I.A., 
PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY IN THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY, AND LECTURER ON 
CHEMISTRY TO THE MUSEUM OF IRISH INDUSTRY. 
From the Atlantis for January, 1858. 
DUBLIN: 
PRINTED BY JOHN F. FOWLER, 
3 CROW STREET, DAME STREET. 
1858. Observations on some of the Products of the Putrefaction 
of Vegetable and Animal Substances, and their relation 
to Pathology. By William K. Sullivan. 
A BRIEF summary of the observations which form 
the subject of the following communication, was 
appended as a note to a paper which I read at the Dublin 
Meeting of the British Association, and which is printed 
m the present number of this journal (“ On the forma- 
tion of several of the acids of the series C„H„04, by the 
destructive distillation of peat”). It had already been 
put into type in its original shape, when it struck me that 
the subject being of so much importance, especially in a 
physiological point of view, my observations might not 
prove uninteresting, if somewhat extended, and the ana- 
lytical details added. Such an extension was incom- 
patible with the limits of a note, and I have accordingly 
made a distinct communication of it. 
Several years ago, I made between thirty and forty 
pounds of wheaten flour into dough with distilled water, 
placed it in an earthen pan, covered it with distilled 
water, and placed in the water and over the mass of 
dough an inverted funnel, the neck of which communi- 
cated by means of a narrow glass tube with the top of a tall 
narrow bell glass provided with a stop-cock, and inverted 
over some mercury in a basin. The whole apparatus was 
laid aside in a cold damp cellar for one year; during this 
period the mass swelled up, bubbles of gas where evolved 
which collected in the funnel, and could be made to pass 
into the bell glass from time to time by opening the stop- 
cock. The gas collected in this way consisted almost 
entirely of carbonic acid, but small quantities of marsh 
gas C2II4 and uncombined hydrogen were obtained. 
Sulphide of hydrogen did not appear to have been given 
off at any period of the putrefaction; a piece of paper 
dipped into acetate of lead, suspended in the bell glass 
for days, did not exhibit the slightest blackening. Proto- 
chloride of mercury or basic acetate of lead was not 
precipitated black by the water standing over the dough. 
Very soon after the dough was placed in the water the 
putrefaction set in, but its energy gradually diminished 
according as the liquor became acid. At the end of the 
Mass of 
wheaten 
flour set 
to putre- 
fy seve- 
ral years 
ago. 
Gases 
evolved 
during 
putrefac- 
tion. 
Changes 
produced 
in mass 4 
Mr. Sullivan on the Products of the Putrefaction 
year the greater part of the mass appeared to have 
undergone but little true decomposition. Nevertheless, 
the gluten throughout the whole mass had undergone 
considerable physical change. It had lost much of its 
tenacity, the external portion especially forming a soft 
slimy mass in which quantities of starch globules more or 
less unaltered were imbedded. A portion of the gluten 
taken from within about an inch of the surface of the 
mass, and freed from all adhering starch, was digested 
with water slightly acidulated with hydrochloric acid at 
a temperature of 22° C. until it dissolved. This solution 
examined with a polarimeter presented the power of left- 
handed deviation in a very feeble degree, compared with 
a solution of an equal degree of strength made with fresh 
gluten. 
At the end of the second year the appearances were but 
little altered, and it was quite remarkable how little the 
putrefaction had progressed. That this retardation was 
caused by the presence of acids in the liquor, was very 
clearly demonstrated by another experiment made with 
flour mixed up with ground chalk, and then made into 
dough and placed in water beside the other mass. In 
the course of a few months the mass had putrefied more 
than the other had done after the lapse of two and a half 
years. In this case a little sulphide of hydrogen appeared 
to have been formed. Circumstances prevented me from 
continuing the experiments after this period. But being 
anxious to determine the nature of the substances dis- 
solved in the water of the flour putrefied without chalk, 
I placed the whole mass upon a linen strainer, and when 
it had thoroughly drained, I mixed the mass on the filter 
with a large quantity of distilled water, allowed the solid 
part to subside, and decanted off the supernatant liquor, 
which was then added to that which had drained from 
the mass. This liquor was mixed with baryta water and 
distilled until the greater part of the liquor had passed 
over. The latter was very weakly alkaline; it was neu- 
tralized with hydrochloric acid and evaporated to dryness, 
at first on a sand bath, and lastly over a water bath. 
This dried mass was then preserved in tubes. The re- 
sidue in the retorts was then removed, some carbonic acid 
passed through it, boiled, filtered, and evaporated to 
dryness, and the dry mass preserved in tubes. 
While these experiments were in progress I also 
allowed a mass of brain to putrefy under exactly similar 
by putre- 
faction. 
Slowness 
of putre- 
faction 
shown by 
a second 
experi- 
ment to 
be owing 
to the 
forma- 
tion of 
acids in 
the li- 
quor. 
Experi- 
ments 
not being 
pro- 
ceeded 
with, 
the chlo- 
rides of 
bases 
and ba- 
ryta salts 
of acids 
pre- 
served. 
Experi- 
ment on of Animal and Vegetable Substances. 
5 
circumstances. In this case the putrefaction set in with 
great rapidity, and continued uninterruptedly for several 
months, because here the liquor never became decidedly 
acid. Both sulphide and phosphide of hydrogen were 
evolved during the decomposition of the mass. 
A very superficial examination of the acid, basic, and 
other products contained in the liquid in which the brain 
had putrefied, made at the time, and among which I 
found valeric acid in comparatively large proportions, and 
what I believed to have been trimethylamine and some 
peculiar compound containing phosphorus, led me to be- 
lieve that a considerable number of the ammonia bases are 
produced during the slow decay of vegetable and animal 
substances. 
Having been engaged during the past year in searching 
for similar bodies among other products, I determined to 
examine the chlorides and baryta salts from the putre- 
faction of the flour, which I had carefully preserved 
in tubes, as above mentioned, but which I had not had 
time to analyze. The following is a summary of the re- 
sults which I obtained. 
The dried mass presumed to contain the mixed chlo- 
rides of several bases, was treated with absolute alcohol, 
which dissolved a portion of it; the residue was common 
chloride of ammonium, as was fully established by a 
determination of the platinum in the precipitate formed 
by the addition of chloride of platinum and alcohol to a 
solution of it. The alcoholic solution separated from 
the chloride of ammonium was evaporated to dryness; 
the dry mass was introduced into a retort and a quantity 
of baryta dissolved in water added, equivalent to what 
would be required to saturate one-third of the acid con- 
tained in a quantity of common chloride of ammonium 
equal in weight to the dry mass put into the retort. 
The mass was then heated in a water bath, the product 
of distillation received into water acidulated with hydro- 
chloric acid, the solution thus obtained evaporated, and 
the resulting dry mass, which I shall call A, preserved for 
further examination. As much more baryta was added 
to the residue in the retort and a second product, B, ob- 
tained. A third portion of baryta was then put into the 
retort and a third product, C, found. 
The product called A was fractionated in exactly the 
same manner that the whole mass had been, the distillate 
being subdivided into three portions, a, b, c. The por- 
putrefac- 
tion of 
brain. 
Several 
bases 
formed 
during 
putrefac- 
tion of 
brain. 
Experi- 
ments re- 
sumed 
during 
the past 
year. 
Frac- 
tional 
distil- 
lation of 
mixed 
chlorides 
into three 
portions. 
Frac- 
tional 
ilistil- Mr. Sullivan on the Products of the Putrefaction 
lation of 
portion 
A. 
tion a was dissolved in the smallest possible quantity of 
water; bichloride of platinum was then added, and a 
mixture of alcohol and ether which threw down a double 
salt possessing all the properties of the ordinary platino- 
chloride of ammonium. A determination of the platinum 
in this salt verified the supposition that the substance 
operated upon was almost wholly chloride of ammo- 
nium. 
A portion of the product b was dissolved in water and 
treated with bichloride of platinum and alcohol, but 
scarcely any precipitate could be obtained. The whole 
was then evaporated to dryness in a water bath, but it 
was found so difficult to effect a separation of the pure 
compound, that I had to have recourse to the combina- 
tions with other metals. Another portion was treated 
with protochloride of palladium, but although a beau- 
tiful salt was formed, considerable difficulty was expe- 
rienced in separating it in a pure state. Having dissolved 
the remainder of the product in the smallest possible 
quantity of water, a very concentrated solution of ter- 
chloride of gold was added, which threw down a yellow 
precipitate that dissolved on the addition of a mixture of 
ether and alcohol. The solution thus formed was exposed 
to spontaneous evaporation in a warm place, but shaded 
from the light. A number of small short rectangular 
prisms separated, which dissolved with difficulty in cold 
water; but freely in boiling water, though not without 
suffering slight decomposition if boiled for some time. 
This difference of solubility afforded a means of obtaining 
the salt in a comparatively pure state; the crystals were 
accordingly dissolved in a small quantity of boiling 
water; on cooling the compound crystallized out. The 
proportions of gold and chlorine in these crystals were 
determined by introducing a weighed quantity of them 
into a small flask, adding some granulated zinc and one 
drop of diluted sulphuric acid, and allowing the whole to 
digest for some time. When all the gold was precipi- 
tated, the supernatant clear liquid was decanted off, and 
the residue repeatedly washed by decantation. The 
precipitated gold was treated with dilute nitric acid in 
order to dissolve the excess of zinc; the solution was de- 
canted off and added to the previous liquor, and the gold 
repeatedly washed by decantation as before. When fully 
washed it was transferred to a small porcelain cup, dried 
in a water bath, gently ignited, and weighed. All the li- 
Prepa- 
ration of 
salts of 
palla- 
dium and 
gold with 
the pro- 
duct b. 
Mode of 
deter- 
mining 
the 
amount 
of gold 
and chlo- 
rine in 
gold salt. of Animal and Vegetable Substances. 
7 
quids obtained in the washing of the gold were then placed 
in an evaporating basin, and a little milk of lime added, 
and the whole evaporated in a water bath to dryness to 
expel the volatile base. The dried residue was boiled 
with water, the solution filtered, and a few drops of nitric 
acid added so as to carefully neutralize the lime; it was 
then heated to boiling, and nitrate of silver added, to pre- 
cipitate the chlorine. The milk of lime used, was pre- 
pared from lime made with white marble; before being 
used it was slacked and then mixed with a large quantity 
of pure water, allowed to settle, the clear liquid decanted 
off, and fresh water poured on, this operation being re- 
peated three or four times so as to separate any chlorine 
which might be present. 0.115 gramme of the gold 
salt all treated in this way gave 0.056 gramme of 
metallic gold, and 0.165 gramme of chloride of sil- 
ver. These numbers lead to the conclusion that the body 
under examination was the aurocliloride of trimethy- 
lium, N(C2H3)3,HC1,AuC13, as will be evident from the 
following comparison: 
The base 
in the 
portion 
b was 
trime- 
thyla- 
mine. 
N(CtHs)3H . 
Calculated. 
. . 15.074 . 
Found. 
Cl4 .... 
. . 35.600 . 
. 35.441 
Au ... . 
. . 49.326 . 
. 48.695 
100.000 
The dried mass B was fractionated in the same manner 
as A, into two portions. The first portion consisted 
chiefly of chloride of ammonium and chloride of trime- 
thylium. The second portion was dissolved in a small 
quantity of water; a few drops of alcohol were added, 
and then a solution of bichloride of platinum, as long as 
any precipitate was formed. The whole was allowed to 
digest in the liquid for about ten minutes, and was then 
filtered to separate the precipitate. The latter was treated 
with boiling water, which dissolved it. When the solu- 
tion cooled it crystallized out as golden scales of great bril- 
liancy. 0.152 gramme gave on ignition 0.051 gramme of 
metallic platinum; 0.90 gramme digested with granulated 
zinc, and then boiled with lime-water, filtered, a few drops 
of nitric acid added, and the chlorine precipitated by 
nitrate of silver, gave 0.133 gramme of chloride of 
silver. These numbers correspond to platinochloride 
Exami- 
nation 
of B. 
Prepara- 
tion of 
platinum 
salt. 
The base Mr. Sullivan on the Products of the Putrefaction 
C10 Hu 
H 
H 
was 
amyla- 
mine. 
of amylium, N 
HC1. PtCl2, as the following 
comparison shows:— 
N(C10H13)H . . 
Calculated. 
. 30.046 
Found. 
Cl. . . 
. . 36.290 
36.503 
Pt. 
. . 33.664 
33.552 
100.000 
The solution from which the foregoing salt crystallized 
out, was still further concentrated at a very gentle tem- 
perature and shaded from the light; a very concentrated 
solution of bichloride of platinum was then added, and 
the whole set aside in the dark for some days. During 
this time a crystalline precipitate separated, which was 
dissolved in boiling water; on being set aside until next 
day, a quantity of deep orange yellow tabular crystals 
deposited, but mixed with some of the golden scales of 
the last salt, and what appeared to be the platinum com- 
pound with common ammonia. The whole mass was 
accordingly digested with zinc, and the solution boilel 
with baryta water in a small retort connected with a 
bottle containing water kept cool by ice. The weak 
alkaline solution thus obtained was about one-third neu- 
tralized with hydrochloric acid, and distilled at a very 
moderate temperature; the product thus obtained was 
then about two-thirds neutralized with hydrochloric acid, 
and evaporated to a very small quantity; this was then 
divided into two portions, to one a strong solution of bi- 
chloride of platinum was added, and a few drops of alco- 
hol, a slight precipitate was thrown down, which was 
separated by filtration; re-dissolved in water and set aside, 
it crystallized in fine scales. The mother liquor was set 
aside for some days, when the orange yellow tabular crys- 
tals again formed, but still mixed with a small quantity 
of some other compounds. The whole quantity, amount- 
ing 0.125 gramme, was burned, and gave 0.049 gramme 
of metallic platinum39.200 per cent. The body having 
the nearest composition to this would be platinochloride 
Treat- 
ment of 
the 
mother 
liquor 
from 
which 
the pla- 
tinum 
com- 
pound of 
amyla- 
mine was 
sepa- 
rated. 
The base 
present 
in larg- 
est quan- 
tity was 
ethy- 
lamine. 
of ethylium, N 
c4 h5 
H 
II 
HC1, Pt Cl,, which contains 
39.300 per cent, of platinum. of Animal and Vegetable Substances.. 
The gold salt was prepared with the other portion of ( 
the chloride: it consisted of fine bundles of lustrous golden o 
orange prismatic needles, but containing a little of another 1; 
gold salt mixed with it. With the extremely small quan- 
tity of material at my disposal, I found it impossible to 
purify a sufficient quantity of the salt for an analysis. 
The portion marked C, from the first fractioning of the ( 
chlorides, apparently contained several bases; but I had * 
not enough substance to enable me to prepare the plati- \ 
num or gold salts in a state of purity. 
The only bases, accordingly, whose presence I was able i 
to determine with certainty, were, trimethylamine, ethy-f 
lamine, and amylamine. 
The baryta salts were treated by Liebig’s process of r 
fractional distillation, and in other respects in the manner 
described in my other paper, already referred to; it is 1 
therefore unnecessary to describe the process here. The 5 
only acids which I could detect were acetic, butyric, and ; 
valeric; several higher members of the series are un- i 
doubtedly formed by putrefaction; but it would require : 
to operate upon a very large quantity of material in order , 
to be able to separate them. I am also disposed to think 
that formic acid is also produced by putrefaction. The 
results which I obtained, although rendering its existence 
very probable, do not entitle me to pronounce positively 
upon its presence. 
With regard to the presence of propionic acid, my expe- 
riments are rather of a negative character, and certainly 
do not lead to a definite result. On distilling one of the 
soda residues (resulting from the partial neutralization of 
the mixed acids, with a view of separating acetic acid) with 
phosphoric acid, neutralizing the distillate with baryta, and 
crystallizing the baryta compound two or three times, 
which was a matter of considerable difficulty, a salt was 
obtained having the exact appearance of propionate of 
baryta. When a solution of this salt was decomposed by 
carbonate of potash, the solution filtered, evaporated to 
dryness, and the residue treated with absolute alcohol, 
no crystalline salt could, however, be separated by the 
addition of ether, which, it is to be presumed, would be 
the case if propionic acid was present. 
It is probable that the acid which has been obtained by 
the putrefaction of lentils, peas, etc., by Boehme,1 and 
Gold salt 
of ethy- 
lamine. 
C con- 
tained 
several 
bases. 
Bases 
found, 
trime- 
, thy la- 
mine. etc. 
Baryta 
salts 
yielded 
acetic, 
butyric, 
and va- 
leric 
acids. 
Formic 
acid pro- 
bably 
present. 
Negative 
charac- 
ter of 
evidence 
as to the 
presence 
of propi- 
onic acid. 
Propi- 
onic acid 
1 Jour, fiir Prakt. Chem., xli, 278, (as quoted in Gerhardt’s Traite 
de Chim , t. ii., ]>. 440). 10 
Mr. Sullivan on the Products of the Putrefaction 
not 
read in- 
formed 
during 
putrefac- 
tion. 
which Dessaignes and Cliautard2 believe to he present in 
spent tanners’ bark, may be the butyroacetic, and not true 
propionic acid, which does not appear to be readily formed 
in processes of putrefaction. When mangel wurzel or 
other varieties of beet are stored in heaps, and happen to 
heat and decay, a good deal of butyric acid is sometimes 
formed; but I was never able to detect propionic acid, 
nor could I in putrefied beet juice, although I have ope- 
rated on a large quantity. F. Keller, nevertheless, states3 
that propionic acid is the predominating acid formed when 
bran is fermented with animal tissues; indeed, he says 
the only acids he obtained were acetic and propionic acids. 
According to him, propionate of baryta contains nine 
atoms of water of crystallization, which it loses on being 
heated to 140°. This statement is opposed to the usual 
opinion that propionate of baryta is an anhydrous salt. 
Frankland and Kolbe distinctly state4 that propionate of 
of baryta dried at 100° has the formula, BaO, C6H503. 
Strecker5 observes, that the mixed salts of acetic and 
butyric acids could be mistaken for propionates, and that 
the formation of propionic acid in the fermentation of 
bran, as mentioned by Keller, is by no means proved. 
He, however, obtained a large quantity of that acid under 
circumstances which certainly show that it can be formed 
during putrefaction, if not in the first stages, at least as 
the result of secondary reactions. In making lactic acid 
by the modified process proposed by Bensch, that is, by 
mixing together water, sugar, sour milk, and cheese, the 
mixture was left for two or three months in a place in 
which the temperature varied from 20° to 0°. There 
was formed at the end of this time, besides lactate of 
lime, a considerable quantity of mannite (as much as lib. 
from lOlbs. of sugar). On allowing such a mixture of 
lactate and mannite to remain during a summer at a tem- 
perature reaching to 20° or 22°, the lactate of lime gra- 
dually dissolved, and the evolution of gas continued. 
After standing for a year, the mass was treated according 
to Bensch’s process for separating butyric acid, but none 
could be found; the only acids obtained being a large 
quantity of propionic acid, a small quantity of valeric 
acid (derived from the cheese), and acetic acid. 
Keller 
states 
that he 
obtained 
it. 
Strecker 
thinks 
the 
mixed 
salts of 
acetic 
and bu- 
tyric 
acids 
could be 
mistaken 
for pro- 
pionates. 
He ob- 
tained it 
himself 
however. 
2 Journ. de Pharm., xiii., 244. 
3 Anna! der Chem. u. Pharm., lxxiii., 205. 
4 Annal. der Chem. u. Pharm., xcii. 80. 
5 Annal. der Chem. u. Pharm., lxv. 288. of A nimal and Vegetable Substances. 
The formation of compound ammonia bases in the pro- 
cess of putrefaction is of great interest in a pathological 
point of view. Indeed I was originally led to institute 
the foregoing experiments from the belief that such inves- 
tigations would throw light upon many pathological 
changes, and from the conviction that the ammonia which 
is said to exist in the blood in typhus, scarlatina, variola, 
cholera, and other diseases, is a product of decomposition, 
and would be found to be oftentimes a mixture of methy- 
lamine and other compound bases with common am- 
monia. That this is the case in the last stages of yellow 
lever, when the quantity of ammonia (part, at least, being 
in the state of chloride of ammonium, a body which 
could scarcely be the result of the decomposition of urea), 
becomes very considerable, I have not the least doubt. 
In the year 1848, I showed6 (I believe for the first 
time) that leucine could be formed in the living system, 
and that, too, without scarcely any organic disease. That 
body is always a product of the putrefaction of substances 
containing nitrogen, especially when it takes place under 
water, and I am consequently inclined to look upon its 
presence in animal secretions as a proof of putrefactive 
changes having set in. It is also probable that in every 
case where leucine is formed during putrefaction, com- 
pound ammonia bases will also be found if sought for. 
Whether this was the case in the liquid in which I 
observed the leucine, I could not, of course, determine; 
but it is worthy of remark that creatine was found in 
comparatively large quantity, while there was but little 
urea present. Since my discovery of this remarkable 
substance in an animal secretion, it has been found by 
several other observers. French and Staedeler, for 
example, observed it in the human liver, after acute atro- 
phy of that organ, after typhus, etc. ;7 Scherer also found 
it in the liver of a drunkard who had died of typhus.8 
Gorup-Besanez observed it in normal ox-liver, and also in 
the pancreas of that animal ;9 a similar observation has 
been made by Wolff,10 who, in addition to a large quantity 
Great in- 
terest in 
a patho- 
logical 
point of 
view, 
which 
the for- 
mation of 
com- 
pound 
ammo- 
nia by 
putrefac- 
tion pre- 
sents. 
Disco- 
very that 
leucine 
can be 
formed 
in the 
living 
body. 
Fact 
con- 
firmed 
by other 
obser- 
vers. 
6 Proceedings of the Pathological Society of Dublin. Session 1847- 
1848, p. 29. 
7 Wien. Med. Wochenschrift, 1850, No. 30, quoted in Gmelin’s Iland- 
buch der Chemie (Fortsetzung), Bd. xiii 2te. Hiilfte, S. 75. 
8 Arch. f. Path. Anat., x., S. 228—230. 
9 Annal. der Chem. u. Pharm., xviii S. 1—43. 
10 Arch. f. Path. Anat., x., S. 228—230. 12 
Mr. Sullivan on the Products of the Putrefaction 
of leucine, also detected the presence of a homologue of 
it. Virchow and Frerich have also found leucine in 
fresh pancreatic juice and in the glands themselves. 
Most of these observers believe that it is a normal product 
of the organism; but Virchow11 has observed it to form 
and increase after death, and consequently looks upon it 
as a cadaverous product. That it is found in the living 
organism is, however, placed beyond doubt by my obser- 
vation. But on the other hand it is doubtful whether it 
is ever produced by the healthy action of the organs. 
That it is a product of decay, though formed within 
living tissues, is, I think, supported by the circumstance 
that Gorup-Besanez found several of the acids of the series 
ChH„04 accompanying it in the liver; and in the mother 
liquor of the pancreatic tissues from which the leucine 
was separated, he observed the characteristic smell of the 
same acids on the addition of sulphuric acid. In connec- 
tion with this point it would be of interest to determine 
whether tyrosine and hypoxanthine, which Wolff found in 
large quantities in the pancreas of the ox, and Scherer in 
the liver of the drunkard above mentioned (he finds 
hypoxanthine in all human livers), are always formed 
during putrefaction along with leucine. Gorup-Besanez 
found no tyrosine in the liver of the ox, and he thinks the 
presence of hypoxanthine doubtful. 
Immediately after Wurtz’s discovery of methylamine 
and ethylamine, I sought for them in several diseased se- 
cretions, but did not get any very decided results. I 
obtained, however, from the sweat of a patient suffering 
from bromidrosis, a small quantity of ammoniacal chlorides, 
which yielded, with bichloride of platinum and also with 
terchloride of gold, crystalline compounds, which appeared 
when examined under the microscope, to consist of at 
least three different forms of crystals. I determined the 
amount of platinum in the mixed salts, and found that the 
atomic weight of the base or bases was much higher than 
that of common ammonia. Here also, as in ordinary per- 
spiration, the greatest part of the organic matter consisted 
of volatile acids—formic, acetic, butyric; but in addition 
to them, I obtained crystals of baryta salt, which had 
what appeared to me the exact form of caproate of ba- 
ryta. These acids, as Lehmann has shown,12 are not the 
Is pro- 
bably al- 
ways a 
product 
of decay. 
Are 
tyrosine 
and liy- 
poxan- 
thine 
always 
formed 
during 
putrefac- 
tion ? a 
Proba- 
bility of 
presence 
of com- 
pound 
ammo- 
nias in 
sweat, 
etc. 
Caproic 
acid pro- 
bably 
present 
in sweat. 
11 Arcli. f. Path. Anat., viii., S. 335—3G3. 
12 Lehrhuch der Physiologischen Chernie, 2te Auf. lstr Bd., S. 57. of A nimal and Vegetable Substances. 
13 
products of the decomposition of the sebaceous substance. 
The fact of their occurring in normal sweat is apparently 
opposed to the idea that they are products of putrefaction; 
but in the present state of our knowledge, no decided opi- 
nion can be formed as to how far the presence of the 
acids of this series can be considered as an indication of 
putrefaction. 
Other occupations have hitherto prevented me from pur- 
suing this kind of research; and I do not know whether 
any one else has turned his attention to the subject. It 
would undoubtedly be of the greatest importance to deter- 
mine the pathological conditions under which salts of 
ammonia are developed in the blood, etc., and whether 
the compound ammonias are formed in every case where 
common ammonia is produced. Such investigations would 
be very much facilitated by a good microscopical investi- 
gation of the forms of the platinum, palladium, and gold 
salts of the ammonia bases, and the publication of a good 
series of photographic views illustrative of them. 
It is also possible that some of the phosphorus bases 
discovered by Paul Thenard, and which have formed 
the subject of a recent admirable memoir by Hofman and 
Cahours, may be formed by the putrefaction of the brain 
and nervous matter. I hope to be able to resume my ex- 
periments on the putrefaction of the latter bodies imme- 
diately, and this time on a sufficient scale to enable me to 
separate most of the substances formed. 
Impor- 
tance of 
deter- 
mining 
the con- 
dition 
under 
which 
com- 
pound 
ammo- 
nias are 
formed 
in the 
blood. 
Probabi- 
lity that 
phospho- 
rus 
basesare 
formed 
during 
the pu- 
trefaction 
of the 
brain.