A C HE MI C A L S T U D Y OF T HE S EC 'ET I O N OF T HE

A NA L GLA ND S O ' M E PHI T I S M E PHI T I C A ( C O M

M O N S KU NK) WI T H 'E M A 'KS ON T HE PH YS I O
,

L O G I C A L P'O PE 'T I E S OF T HI S S EC 'ET I O N .

B Y T HO M A S B . A L D 'I CH, PH D . .

( 'ro nt t h e La b o rat o r
y f Ph ys io log i cal
o Ch em i s t ry f t h e 'oh ns Hopk i n s
o Un ivers i t y .
)

TH E s ub famil
y M ep h it in oe, to
the s k un k b elongs is re re
w h ic h
p ,

sen ted in th e U n ited S tates by t hree genera : Sp ilogale Uo n ep at u s , ,

an d M ep h i t is M eph i t i s in cl ud es al l o f the l arge com m on s k un k s

.

o f th e U nite d S t ates except th e s o call ed b adger s k u nks along

' - “

ou r S ou th ern b ou n d ary which belong to th e gen u s Uo n ep at u s

, .

T hree s p ecies are re ferred to M ep h i t i s M m acr ura M p u t ori us , .

,

an d M m ep h i t ica Th e l atter s p ecies is fou n d fro m H u d son s B ay

.
’

t o G u atem al a b ut is m ore fre q u en tly m et with i n th e N orthern an d

,

E astern S tates .

B e fore co n sidering th e secretion i tsel f it wil l be w ell to describ e

b riefly th e an al glan ds or pouches co m m on n ot only to the sub ,

family M ep h i t i n w b u t also to th e fa mily M u s t il i dce

, T h e t wo .

pouch es in which i s secreted the fluid e mitti n g the offen si ve od ou r

that h as m ad e the s k un k n otorio us are situated on either side o f th e
rect u m cl ose to the an us T hey are o val in shap e th e l onger d iam
.
,

eter fro m an in ch to an i nch an d a h al f surro u n d ed by a m uscul ar ,

en velop e an d opening i n to the rectu m j ust i nsi d e th e sphincter b y

singl e d ucts whi ch termin ate at th e t ap o f promi nen t n ipple lik e
papill ae Th e p a p i ll ae are situated at the botto m o f recesses , an d
.

when n ot protrud ed are n early con cealed fro m ' iew by fold s o f th e
m ucou s m embran e B y gentle pressu re t he fluid in th e sac m ay be
.

forced o ut th rough the d uct i n a very fin e stream .

T here i s stil l prevale n t an erron eous id ea th at the secretion is

id e n tical with the u ri n e or i s i n som e way con n ected w ith i t T ha t .

C O PY' I G HT , 1 8 9 6 , BY D . APPL E T O N A ND C O MP ANY .

2 Th e S ecre t i on o f t h e A n al Glan ds o
f M e h i t is M e h i t i ca
p p

there is n o con n ecti on wh ate ver between th e sacs an d the gen i to

u ri n ary p assages l i as been show n by Wym an and C h at i n d The
* '

lat ter es p ec i ally h as m ad e a th orough anato m ical stu dy o f th e an al

gl ands o f Co n ep at u s m ap u r i t o Hi s observation s m ay b e su m m ed
.

up as follow s : B e lo w the m u s cul ar l ay e r~ t h at is t o say withi n t h e ,

general m uscular en velope — is foun d the follicular o r gla n d ul ar

p ortion p ro p er o f th e organ 'it is n ot regul arly distrib uted aroun d
th e cen tral reservo i r as i n m ost carn i vora bu t occu p ies on ly a
, ,

l i mited p o rtion o f the sur face o f th e rece p tacl e T he follicles are .

rath er large an d o f a red dish — brow n colou r 'th eir n u m erou s wel l
d e velo p ed c u ls de s ao m easure o n an average 0 5 5 m illi m etre i n
- -

diam eter an d are v a riously roun ded o v oid al cl ub sh a p ed et c

, ,
Th e ,
-

,
.

reservoir is lin ed w ith a com parat i vely thick whitish t un ic com p osed
o f d en se l am in ated tissue an d el astic fibres .

D r L F B arker A s sociate in A n ato my in t h e 'ohn s H o pk in s

. . .
,

U ni versity h as k in dly fu rn ished m e wi th t h e fo llowin g an alysis o f

,

a series o f section s from tiss ues obtain ed fro m th e com m on s k u n k ,

wh ich were p re p are d fo r m e i n the Path o l o g ical Laboratory b y D r .

G eo rge W D obbi n .

“
Th e section s go th ro ugh the wall o f th e sac i n di ffere n t pa rts
an d h ave be en stained i n h aem atoxyl in an d eosin Th e wal l consists .

o f an in tern al m ucou s m e mbran e a su bm u cou s coat a m usc ul ar coat , ,

o f striped fibres an d an extern al fibro us coat

,
The m asses o f gl an d s .

are situ ated in the s ubm u cosa Leading from the reser voi r t o th e .

o u tsid e i s a d uct lin ed by strati fie d epith eli u m w h i ch o p ens at the

apex o f the papill a o r n i p ple .

T i t n i c a fi wt ern a — This is th i n con sistin g o f fi brou s tissu e poor

.
,

in cells A fe w fat cells are p resen t i n places an d l arge vein s are

.
-
,

m et w i th i n trans verse an d longi t udin al sect i on .

T u n i c a M u s c u l ari s — T he m u s cul ar coat var i es considerably in

.

thickn ess being ab o ut four m i lli m etres i n its th ickest p art an d o n e

,

m i l l i m etre in its thin n est p art It con sists o f bu n dl es o f lo n g s t riate d

. .

m uscl e fi bres wh i ch in p l aces ru n all in o n e direction at other par t s o f

,
.

Pro c B os t o n S o c
. . o
f Nat His t
.
,
1 8 44 , i, p 1 1 0 . .

'
'A n n des S ci en ces
. n at . 1 8 74 , xix , p 1 00
. .
 Th om as B A ldrich
. 3

the wall th e fi bres o f th e o uter p art ru n at righ t angl es to th ose o f th e

in ner T he in divid u al m uscle fi bres are o f large size are ex quisi tely
.
,

cross stri ated an d sho w spin dl e sh aped n u cl ei i n th e periph ery o f t h e

-

,
-

fi b re q u ite l ike those o f h u m an m uscle The in tern al peri my si u m.

carrying blood v essel s is e verywh ere d elicate .

T e la S u hn i i t c os a This con s i sts o f a r ath er l oose m esh wor k o f

.
-

fi brous t i ssu e i n tervening between th e m u cou s m em bran e an d th e

m uscle . In i t are sit uated th e m asses o f glan ds Th ese are n ot .

evenl y distri b uted throu ghou t t h e w al l o f th e sac b u t occur in ,

m asses i n v ariou s parts b ei n g p articul arly abun dan t at th e fu n du s

,

o f th e reservoir In th e s ubm ucosa arteries o f m ed i u m size an d

.
,

l arger vei n s are si tu ated ' an d n ear th e gl an d s betw een th em an d ,

th e m u scl e bu nd les o f m ed ul lated n erve fi b res o f con sid erabl e siz e

,

are t o b e mad e o ut .

“
Th e m asses o f glan ds themsel ves show gl an d t ubes cu t i n vari
o us directions trans v ersely l ongit udin al ly an d ob l iquely Th ey ap .
, ,

pear to b e coil glan ds al th ough th ey may b ran ch T he am ou n t o f

,
.

c o nn ecti ve tissu e b etween th e coils is in sign i fi can t there being j ust ,

en ough to carry a rich su ppl y o f bl ood capill aries S ection s o f th e .

glan ds sh o w th e tu b ules t o b e li ned by cubical epith eli u m ' th e

n u clei o f th e cell s are sit uated rath er n earer th e p roxim al th an th e
distal en ds o f th e cell s Th ey are ro un d o r sligh tly o val an d stai n
'

.
, ,

i nt ensely i n h aem atoxyl in

. Th e dista l porti on o f th e protoplas m
.

s tai n s rather m ore fee b ly than th e proxim al portion th e l atter takin g ,

a dee p er ti n t i n h a em atoxylin an d tend in g t o b e slightly gran ul ar .

T h e l u m en o f the t ubul e v aries in d i fferen t p arts In p l aces it is .

wid e i n oth er pl aces red uced to a n arr o w sli t B etween the pro x i
,
.

m al en ds o f th e e p ithelial cells an d t he basem en t m embran e long ,

s pin dl e sh a p ed n u clei c an b e seen w hose lo n g axis is as a rul e paral

-
, ,

l e l to th e course o f the glan d t ub ul e Th ese are e vid en tly th e n ucl ei

.

o f sm ooth m uscle fi bres Th e base m ent m em bran e itsel f appears

.

d elicate an d hom ogen eous H ere an d there within a m ass o f t u b ules

.

an artery o r vei n o f considerabl e siz e m ay be m et with .

T u n i oa M n eos a —This co n sists o f an e p ith elial covering an d a

.

tu n ica propria T h e epith e lial co verin g consists o f several l ayers o f

.
4 T h e S ecre t i on f
o t h e A n al Glan ds f M ejuh i t is M eph it i ca
o

epi thel ial cells th e d eepest layers ten ding to b e cubical th e m ore
, ,

distan t l ayers to b e pol y hed ral in shape A s a rul e th e l ay er is .

,

from fou r to fiv e cells d ee p A ll o f the cell s dist al t o th e p roxim al

.

ro w show a n et w ork w ith i n th e cell proto p lasm t h e m eshes o f wh i ch ,

are filled up by clear hy al in e d roplets T h e ap pearan ces i n th ese

.

cell s resembl e very closel y those to b e seen in th e cells o f sebaceous

gland s .

“
T h e s u p er fici al cells o f the ep i th el ial layer m ay b e n u cleated or
n on n u cl ea t ed an d i n this layer the p rotoplasm con tains large n um
-
,

bers o f i rregul ar m asses an d part i cl es w hich stai n d ee p l y i n h aem a

t o xy lin bu t m etachrom atically t akin g a reddi sh bro w n ti n t
, ,
T hese -
.

particl es resem ble closel y th ose see n i n th e gran u l ar cel ls at t h e

p e ri phery o f th e strat u m germ in ati vu m (M al pigh ii) i n hu m an sk i n
( kerato hy al
-
i n In pl aces on the s ur face or de s q ua
mated fro m it can be seen a l ay er o f cel ls wh ich h ang togeth er ,
which are alm ost en tirely d evoid o f chrom atic substance an d l oo k
l ike p al e vesicl es un i ted edge t o edge .

'
T h e t u nica propria o f th e m u cou s m e m bran e is a little less th an
1 m illim etre in th ickn ess an d con sists o f b un d les o f white fibres
,

wh ich fo r th e m ost part ru n p arallel to on e an oth er ta k ing a som e ,

wh at wavy cou rse N ucl ei o f con n ect i ve tissu e cor p u scles are visibl e
.
-

between the b u ndl es an d s m al l blood vessels are also p resen t in this

,

layer Th ere are no di sti nct p a p ill ae t o be m ad e o ut in th e wal l o f

.

the reservoir al thou gh th ey are presen t in the d uct l ea ding fro m th e

,

reser v oir t h rough the pa pilla to i ts apex .

Th e Pa i ll o r Ni p le — I n tran sverse section th is i s seen t o

“
p a p
b e l in ed by strati fi ed epith eli um resting u pon a d i st i nctly p apillat ed
t unica propria Th e papilla is rich in vol u n tary m uscle fi bres th e
.
,

m u cous m em bran e l in ing it be i ng su rro un d ed by t wo ro ws o f b un

d l es o f fi bres which run par allel to th e long ax i s o f the d u ct E xter .

n al to th ese is a tol erably thick l ayer o f m uscle fi bres wh ich ru n fo r

th e m ost p art circul arly al th o ugh som e o f them run obliquely No
, .

wh ere i n th e p apil la o r i n th e reser voir can sm ooth m u s cl e be m ad e

o u t except as b e fore d escrib ed i n th e stru ct ure o f the gl an d s th e m
, ,

selv es O utsi de th e vol un tary m uscl e o f th e papi ll a is a firm fibro us

.
 T homas B A ld rich . 5

coat I n th e co n n ectiv e tissu e o f the pa p illa an d here and th ere

.

am ong th e epith el ial cel ls bran ch ed pigm en t cell s are visibl e .

Th e histologi st m ust be struck b y th e resem bl ance o f the strue

“

tu re o f the gl an ds in t he wall o f th e r eserv o ir to th at o f th e ord in ary

sud ori ferous glan d s o f the skin In d eed it is n ot i ncon cei vable th at .
,

th ese glan ds o f the sk un k m ay represen t curiou sly m od i fied sweat

gl an d s A s to the n ature o f th e reservoi r with its curiou s e p ith el ial
.

lining it is d i fficult to d ecid e I f the gl an ds in th e wal l o f th e

,
.

reservoir o f the skunk should t urn o ut to be h om ologou s with sweat

gl an ds the rel ation o f th e reser v o i r to sweat p ores wil l h av e t o b e
,

cons i d ered I n this con nect i on th e c urio us ch aracter o f th e e pit h e

.
,

liu m cel ls l in ing the reservoir rem in din g o n e so me what o f th e stru e ,

tu re seen i n sebaceo u s gl a n d s m u st n ot be forgotten ' an d an y at ,

tem p t to e xpl ain the origin an d the character o f t h e secretion sh ould

con si d er n o t only th e produ cts o f th e gl an d s i n th e s ubm ucosa b u t ,

al so the part i f any play ed i n its form ation by th e epithel iu m o f th e

, ,

'
reservoir i tsel f .

The exceedingly di sagreeable odou r p ossessed by th e secre

tion o f th e M eph i t i n ce an d the d i fficu l ty atten ding i ts coll ectio n in
*
,

su ffi cient q u an tity fo r an exh austi ve stu dy h ave d eterre d i n vesti

gators i n th e past from stu dyin g thi s m ost singular an d in terestin g
fluid .

If on e w ere bol d eno ugh to start the i n vestigation obj ection s ,

were in variabl y raised an d th u s al l fur t h er researc h w as sto pp ed

,
.

L
O n an expedi tion
’
A t least t his was L o e w s i experien ce who says : ,

through T exas i n 1 8 7 2 I h ad fr equ en t opportu n ity t o coll ect a s uffi

c i e n t q u an tity o f th i s secretio n to e stab lish its chem ical con stit u tion ,

bu t all my com pan ion s proteste d agai nst it , d ecl arin g th e od ou r

which cl un g t o m e to b e u nbearable O n m y return to N ew York .

city I started a fe w chem ical test s with th e l ittl e I h ad col l ected , ,

when th e whole college rose in re vol t sho uting , A sk un k a sk u nk . ,

I am in f
o rm ed by D r. C Ha t . r M rri e am , Ch i e f of t he D i vi sion of M amm al o gy an d

O r n it h o lo gy , Wash in gt on ,
D . C .
,
t h at the r
s e c e t io n o f s o m e ot h e rm em be r
s of the f ami ly
M us t i li dce is if po s s i b l e , m o
,
r e o fi e n s iv e t h an t h at o f t h e s k un k . Th e r
s e c e t ion o f the m in k
is n ot so diffus ib le or r
pe n e t at in g, b ut i t is m o e n aus e at in g r .

f A erzt lich es i
I nt ell g en zblat t no n M an ch en , 'un e 1 0, 1 8 7 9 , p 2 5 2 . .
6 T h e S ecre t i on f
o th e A n al Gl an ds o M
f pe h i t i s M e h i t i ca
p

is here ' I had to aban don th e

’
T his n o d ou bt , ,

h as b een th e exper i en ce o f oth ers w h o h ave attem pted t o s t u dv

eith er t h e secretion o r the gl an ds I h ave been m ore fortun ate t h an .

m y p red ec essors in be i ng surroun ded b v those who fo r th e cause o f ,

scien ce wou ld en d ure e ven the od our o f a skun k in close p roxi m ity
,
.

H ad i t n ot been fo r th i s forbearan ce on their part I shoul d n u ,

d oubtedly h ave su ffered the fate o f others .

L as s aig n e fl S wart s i ( in W ohler s Laboratory ) an d Loew it h a v e

L ’
,

al l m ad e th e secreti on o f th e sk un k the subject o f ch emical research ,

b u t i t is to be regrett ed that the or i gin o f th e fluid i n vestigated by

th e t wo form er was u nk nown .

L ass aig n e separated th e secreti on in to a h e av v an d a light o il .

S warts fo un d i t t o con sist o f a colo urless p ortion boi li n g bet wee n

1 05 an d 1 1 0 C an d a h eavy yellow oi l b oil i ng between 1 9 5 an d
° ° °
.
,

I n th e res i d u e h e recognised a n i t rogen o u s ba s ic body

°
2 00 C .

whi ch fro m i ts vol atility he con cl u ded to be either m ethyl am in e o r

, ,

ethylam i n e .

A ccord i n g to Loew the secret ion con s i sts o f at l east t wo b od ies , ,

o n e o f which is richer in sul ph ur th an th e oth er p ossesses properti es ,

sim il ar to the o il obtain ed from garli c (Kn o hlau ch dl) gi ves with th e ,

m etals salts an d i s viol ently att acked by con cen trated n itric acid '
the oth er o il con tain s n itroge n an d gi ves rise u n der certain con d i ~
,

t ion s to a base which sm ells like trim ethyl am in e

,
.

T h e resul t s o f th ese in vestigators amou n t to very littl e from a

ch emi cal p oint o f v i ew N oth i n g d e fi n ite as to th e real chemi cal .

n ature o f this secretion h as hitherto been d etermin ed .

T he m ateri al fo r this in vestigation was obtain ed prin ci p ally from

th e S tate o f M ain e 'a sm all q u a n tit y however cam e from Lon g , ,

Islan d With on e exce p t i on it cam e in th e sacs whi ch were em p

.
, ,

ti ed as soon as recei ved T he q uan tit y o f flu i d i n th e sacs varies .

' omr a r Pr f le t t e to o . A b el .

i Cit e d b y S w rt a s .

f L ie b ig s A n n alen , 1 8 6 2, p 26 6
’
c x xv u, . .

it 0p . c it .
, p 25 2
. .

I t is ve ry pr o b ab le t h at t h e r i
s ec e t o n o f t he oth e r m mb r
e e s of t he su b fam ily Mep h it i n ae
di ff r
e s ve ry lit t l fr m t h e o at o f M m eph i t i ca .
 T homas B A ld ric h . 7

gre atl y 'som e we re fou n d em pty oth ers con tai n ed as m uch as 5 ,

cubic centim etres or e v en m ore if they were very m uch d istend ed

,
.

I presu m e th e age vigo ur an d siz e o f the an im al also the m eth o d

, , ,

e m p l oyed i n capturing wil l ex pl ai n this va riatio n

, .

The len gth o f tim e th at el a p sed be fore th e sacs reach ed th e l ab o

ra t o ry varied from t w el ve h ou rs t o se veral d ay s In those cases .

wh ere n o es p ecia l care h ad been t ake n t o p re ven t d ecom p ositio n

th e sacs still ga ve n o e vid en ce o f ch an g e I t i s p robabl e that t h e .

secretion preserves from i m m ed iate d ecom p osition n ot only the t i ss ue

i n contact w it h it b ut al so th at in th e i m m edi ate n eighbourh ood
, .

N o di fferen ces that could be attributed t o decom p osition were o b

served in an y case th e o d ou r an d col our o f the secretion from th e
,

di fferen t sacs being ap proximately th e sam e .

PH Y S I C AL P'O PE 'T I E S O' THE FL U I D .

O btain ed fro m th e sacs a f h ou rs afte r th e d eath o f th e an i

ew

m al th e secretion is a clear l i m p i d flui d o f a gol den yello w or ligh t

’

-
, , ,

am ber colour o f a c h aracteristic p en etrati n g an d m ost po werfu l

, , ,

od our an d h aving a speci fic gravity at ord in ary tem perat ure less
, , ,

than w ater
T h e fluid fi lters readily so m eti mes sh ows a d eci d ed greenish
,

cast an d in the e venin g is said t o be sli g h t ly l u mi nou s 'but I m y

,

sel f have n ot b een abl e to veri fy th e l ast observation A fter remo val .

from the sac it t urn s grad u ally d arker i n col ou r prob ably o n accoun t ,

o f a sligh t o xi d ation It rem ai ns fl uid at a tem p erat ure o f —1 3 C

.
.
°
.

Th ere is gen erall y presen t in th e sacs t o th e exten t of on e

g ram m e or m ore a yello wish -
am orph ous body h av in
g as far as I , ,
,

h ave tested an alkal in e reaction an d gi vi ng th e p roteid tests I

, ,
.

t ake this su bstance to con s ist i n l arge p art o f the d eb r is o f de s q ua

m ated e p ithel ial cel ls from the in n er sur face o f th e sac Whether .

an y ch em ical fun ctio n is to b e ascr i b ed to this de br i s I h ave n ot yet

’

been abl e to determ in e Prism atic crystal s h ave been observed

.

wh en a l ittle o f t h e flui d has rem a i n ed so m e tim e in co n tact with the

am or p hous body re ferred to Th e secreti o n stan d i ng in a bottle o fte n
.

d eposits a wh ite flo c c ulc n t substance .

 T h e S ecre t i o n t h e A n al M ep h i t is M e h it i c a
8 o f Glan ds o
f p

CH E M I CA L P' O PE ' T I ES O' TH E FL I

U D .

The reaction O f the flu id I fou n d to b e n eu tral others h ave fou n d

*
it in tensely acid ' bu t I can n o t recon cil e thi s statem en t with t h e
ch aracter o f th e chem i cal bodies fou n d in the secretion These sub .

stan ces wi thou t d oub t b elo n g to groups th at h ave as o n e o f their

ch aracteristic properties a n eu tral reaction .

The vapours o f th e fl ui d are high ly inflamm abl e an d bur n with a

l u m i nous flam e gi vi n g O ff sul p h u r d ioxide
,
.

A bsol u te alcoh o l eth er an d ch loro form d issol ve th e fl ui d read ily

, ,
.

C on cent rated sul p h ur i c aci d d issol v es i t but n ot without p rod u cing ,

s om e ch anges as t he co l ou r changes t o a d ee p er h u e Th e body is .

,

thrown o u t o f th e al c oholic an d con centrated sul ph ur i c acid sol u -

ti on s on dil uti o n with w ater in which i t is pract i cally in sol uble ,

.

T he od ou r in th ese sol utions is b ut l ittle ch anged .

A fift y per— cen t so l ution o f sod i u m o r potassi u m hydroxid e dis

-

s ol v es th e fluid p artially t h e pec uli ar od o ur d isa p pearing al most e u

,

t ire ly . F rom this sol u ti on th e o il is liberated on d ilu tion with m u ch

w ater 'th e ad diti on o f dil ute s ul p h u ri c acid brings b a c k th e origin al
od our The same facts m ay be S h own i n the fol lowin g way
.

A strip o f filter p aper m o i sten ed with an aqueou s solu tion o f l ea d

acet ate an d suspend ed o ver the n atu ral secretion tak es on a b right
yel lo w colo ur 'h eld o ver th e secretion th at has bee n d issol ved i n a
fift y per cen t sol ution o f p otassi um hydrox i de n o change i s n oticed
- -
, ,

th ough i t m ay be i n t ime som ewh at d ark en ed i n col ou r 'b u t if this

potassi u m hyd roxi d e sol ution is acid i fied by th e ad ditio n o f sul ph uri c
-

acid th e bright yello w col ou r i s again seen in th e fi l ter p aper h el d

,
-

o ver it Pa p er m o i sten ed w i th c o pp er s ul p hate is acted on i n the

.

sam e w ay only that th e colou r i s n ot so p rono unce d

,
.

Th e di l ute sulph u ric acid sol u t ion or the a q ueous sol ution fo r it
-
, ,

is sol u b l e t o a slight exten t i n w ater reacts toward an iod in e sol u ,

tion sim ilarly to the correspon d ing sol u tions o al kyl s ulph ide s )
f L -
.

B romi n e acts li k e iodin e .

M rri am Mamm
e . als o f r
t h e A di o n dac k s ,
p 76 . .

f A bel . Ze t i f
. .
p hys i o l Ch em
.
,
xx , pp.2 7 1 —27 3 .
 T h om as B . Ald rich 9

Analcoholi c sol ution o f the secreti on gi v es with alcoholic sol u

tions o f l ead acetate mercu ric cyani d e m ercuric pl atini c , or auric
, , ,

chl orid e fo r the m ost part am orph ous preci pitates The lead com
,
.

poun d i s y ell o w i n colou r the m ercuric com pounds are whi te an d

, ,

th e pl atin ic an d go ld chlorid e com p o und s are orange Mercuric .

oxid e reacts either d irectly in the fl u id or i n an eth ereal solution O f ,

th e sam e very energetically as does also con cen trated n itric acid '
,

both for m crystallin e com po un ds An alcoh olic sol u tion o f ferric .

ch lori de gives with th e correspon ding sol utio n o f the secretio n a

l igh t gree n col ou r
-
.

T h ese physica l an d che mical properties j ust re ferred to warran t

th e assertion that one or m ore m ercaptans or thi oal cohols are p res , ,

en t i n th e secretion .

F RA C TI ONA L S E PA ' A TI O N O' TH E S ECRETI ON .

con vin ced o f the p resen ce o f m erca pt an s i n th e secreti o n

B ei ng ,

fraction al d istil l ation suggested itsel f as the best m ethod to use in

their separation Accor di ngly th e fi ltered secretion was d ist illed
.
,

fro m a suitabl e bath With the m ercur y com pletely in vapou r a

.
,

cl ear colourl ess flu i d con sti t uti ng abou t hal f o f the secretion dis
, ,

tilled o ver between 1 00 an d 1 3 0 C The bath tem p erat u re was

° °
.

gen erally abou t n ever o ver 1 5 0 C T he te m peratu re th en °

.

fell though the bath tem p erat u re was i ncreased to 1 8 0 C

°
, As “

there was n o e viden ce o f d ecom p osition it i s n a t ural to su pp ose th at ,

these bodies are in the original secreti on an d n ot d ecom position ,

prod ucts B y this m ethod we are en abl ed t o separa t e th e secreti on

.

i n to two S harply d efi n e d an d n early equ al portion s :

1 T he m ore vol ati le portion boiling between 1 00 an d 1 3 0 O ,
° °
. .
,

an d whi ch fo r con venience we wi ll d esign ate A .

2 T h e less vol atile p ortion l e ft after d istilli ng O ff A , an d w hi ch

.
,

w e wil l call B
'

A n apparatu s so arranged as t o d etect any gas th at m igh t be

i

°
gi ven O ff un der 1 00 C gave a n egati ve result T h e t h re e l ower
. .

m erca p tans — m ethy l ( B ethyl ( B . 36 n orm al pro p yl .

( B . a n d iso pro p y l ( B 5 7-
to 6 0 O —were thu s .
°
.

'
10 T h e S e cre t i o n o f t h e A n al Gl an ds f M ep h it is M ep h i t i ca
o

shown to be i n all probability absen t We are therefore com pelled

, ,
.

t o seek o ur m ercaptan s am on g those with b oil i ng poin t n ear or o v er

° °
1 00 an d still und er 1 30 C .

F R CTION
A A .

A i s a m obile colou rless fl uid l ighter than water an d h a v in g a

ve r y un pleasan t p en etrating Od o ur scarcely t o b e di stingui sh ed
“

fro m t h at o f the origin al secretion It gi ves withou t exceptio n all .

, ,

o f th e reactio n s o f th e origin al secretion .

A fter drying over calci u m ch lori de fo r t w en ty —

fou r h o u rs it w as
d istille d fract ion ally Three fraction s were O btain ed
.

°
1 a b oiling betw e en 1 00 an d 1 1 0 C an d con stit uting abou t
°
. .
,

o n e hal f o f A .

° °
2 B b oiling between 1 1 0 an d 1 2 0 an d con stituting on e fourth
.
,

of A .

3 .
y l e ft,
i n th e bulb a fter d i st i lli n g O ff th e t w o form er and c o n

s t it ut in g o n e fourth o f A .

Th ese three frac t io n s — a B an d y— gi v e th e m erca p tan reactio n s '

, ,
f

th at is th ey u nite wi t h m ercu r i c oxid e m ercu r i c cyanide an d l ead

, , ,

acetate to form com p ou nd s ch aracterist i c O f th e m ercaptan s B was .

fou n d to contain l ess sul p h ur th an a a resul t to be expected if a ,

h i gh er m ercaptan were present 'o r th e p ur pose o f i d en ti fyi n g t h e .

m erca p ta n i n fract i on a se veral an alyses were m ad e

,
.

S u lp h u r A n aly s i s .

A qu antitative d eterm i n ation accord in g to C arius , ,

of th e per
c en tage o f sul p h u r gave the following resul ts
I .
g r mma e gav e g r mm
a e B aS O 4 .

II . 0 24 5 3

Cl l
a c u at e dH fo r F o un d .

O , H, S . I . II .

3 5 5 5 pe r cent .
pe r c en t .
pe r c en t .

In each an alysis th e s ul ph ur is fo un d t o o l o w Th i s m ay be .

readily ex p l ain ed by ass u ming the presen ce i n sm al l quan tity O f

either amyl m erca p tan the sulph u r con tents o f which are abou t
,

thirty th ree pe r cen t o r O f o n e O f t h e h i gh er sulphid es

-
,
.
 T homas B A ldrich
. 11

L ead B ut y l M erc ap t ide,

This com p ou n d was p re p ared by ad din g an excess o f a satu rate d
al coholi c sol ution o f lea d acetate to the alcoholi c sol ution o f th e
fraction a It w as ob tain e d i n beauti ful gl i sten ing yell o w rhom bic
.
, ,

pl ates w hich recrystallized from alcoh ol wash ed w i th al cohol an d

, , ,

ether and d r i ed i n c aca o o ver sulph uric acid gave th e m el tin g p o in t

, ,

°
85 to 90 C Th e com pou n d i s very un s t abl e d ecom pos i ng read ily
°
.
,

in to the corres p ond i n g m erca p tan an d s ul p hid e O f the m etal Possi .

b ly thi s in stability m ay expl ain the great range o f its m el t ing poin t .

D il ute hyd roch loric aci d as wel l as d il ute su lp h uric acid de c o m

poses it and m ore readily O n h eatin g Pre p ared as given abo ve
,
.
,

carbon h y d rogen an d l ead determi n ation s were m ad e

, ,

I .
gr m m a e g av e gr m m
a e CO ? an d gr m m a e H2 0 * .

II .
-
0 24 5 3 -
0 2 27 7
I . 0 203 3 0 1 584
'
Pb SO 4 pe r c en t o f Pb .

II . 0 1 25 5

Cl la c u at e d fo r F o un d .

fli ercu r i c Ch l or ide B u t y l M e rc ap t i de ,

T h isbo dy is precipi tate d as an am orph ou s com pound t hough ,

i n clin ed to crystal liz e when alcoholic sol ution s o f m ercu ric chl orid e
,

an d o f fraction a are b rou gh t togeth er It is pract i cally insol ubl e .

in col d alcohol spari ngly sol uble i n hot fro m wh ich i t crystallizes
, ,

in glistenin g w h ite plates 'ecrystal lized from h ot al cohol three .

tim es an d d ried i n c ac a o o ver s ul p h uri c acid i t d ecom poses partially ,

withou t m elting when heated to 1 8 5 C This com pou nd being stabl e °

.
,

i n the air an d hav ing been recryst allized a n u m ber o f tim es g ave ,

results which com p are m ore favourably with the th eoretical figu res .

I .
g r am m e gav e g r mm
a e O f HgS 6 1 6 2 pe r
°
c ent . of Hg .

II .

C l l at
a cu
C 4 Hg s
e
H
d fo r F o un d .

gC l.

Hg 61 63
°

Th e s e r e s u lt s we r e o b t ain e d fr om the an aly s e s of t h e le ad me r c apt ide p rprde a e as

r
de s c ib e d on page 3 3 5
12 Th e S e cre t i o n f
o t h e A n al Glan ds f M ep h i t i s M ep h it i ca
o

M e rc u ri c B a t y l M erc ap t i de ,

When m ercuric oxid e i s ad ded to either a or i ts eth ereal solu ti o n

en ergeti c reaction takes pl ace th e ox i d e d isap p ears an d a wh ite fo r
, , ,

the most part am or p hou s body som ewh at soluble i n eth er is de po s , ,

it e d
. I t can be crystal lized from its eth ereal sol ution an d obta i n ed
i n wh ite rho mbi c plates A fter h avin g b ee n dried i n c ac a o o ver
.

sul ph uric ac id i t m el ted sh arp ly at 9 4 to 9 5 C to a clear col our

,
° °
.

l ess fluid O n cooling i t solidi fied to a m ass o f crystals

. .

Th i s com pou nd l ike m ost o f the m etal lic d er iv ati ves o f the
,

m ercaptan s decom p oses readily 'e ven d ur i ng th e p rocess o f re cry s

,

t all iz at i o n fro m ether p arti al d eco m p osition tak es pl ace 'i t t urns
,

grad ually d ark wh en kept fo r som e ti m e .

0 1 1 08 g
°
r mm
a e gav e 0 1 05 3 g
°

r mm a e 002 an d gr mm a e HQ O .

Cl l d
a c u at e fo r
H
(C 4 H oS 9) g . F d o un .

25 40 25 9 0
3 88

Th e di ffi cul ty o f m a k ing a carbon d eterm i nat ion directly with

the fraction a wil l be un derstood wh en it is kn ow n th at a port ion o f
th e carbon i s d eposited i n th e glass b ul b be fore th e en ti re fl uid h as
v olatiliz ed It was th us fou n d i m possible t o b u r n al l o f th e carbon
. .

Th e results o f these an alyses are su ffi cien tly n ear th e theoretical

fi g ures wh en con sid ered togeth er with the boi li ng poi nt o f a to con
v in ce , I t h i nk th e most sceptical that th e greater p art o f th is frac
,

tion con tain s o n e o f t h e bu t yl m ercaptan s .

°
Pri mary n orm a l b u tyl m ercaptan is give n as boiling at 9 7 C *
.

T h e boiling o f a b et ween 1 00 an d 1 1 0 C coul d b e easily ex pl ai n ed

° °
.

if we a ssu m e th e p resen ce in sm al l q u ant ity O f som e higher b oiling

b ody T his assum p tion wo ul d al so ex pl ai n in ge n eral the an aly tical
.

resul ts I am in cl i n ed to b el ie v e in the p resen ce o f a h igh er m er

.

captan ( say amyl m ercaptan ) rather th an a sul ph id e T he oth er .

fraction o f A wil l be taken u p at som e futu re ti m e .

A fter th e above an aly ses had b een m ade I was fortun ate enough

Wh e n r r
t h e m e c u y is c o mple t ely in t h e v apo u r it will b f e o un d to b o il a fe w de g r e es

b
a ov e 97
 T homas B A ld rich
. 13

to o b tain a l arger quan tity o f th e secretion T his I treated in th e .

m an n er al ready d escr ib e d as far as th e separation o f A an d B is

con cern ed F rom this poin t A was n o t at fi rst subj ected to fracti on
.

al d istill ation b u t sh ake n u p with a fift y p er cen t sol ution o f po t as

,
- -

siu m hy droxid e in order to d issol ve ou t th e m ercaptans an d then ,

re p eatedly sh aken ou t with eth er t o rem ove an y body n ot sol u b le in

alkal i T h e resul ts S h o w howeve r th at wh en the fi rst d istill ation is
.
, ,

condu cted care ful ly A is pract ically free from any bodi es ou tsid e O f
,

the m ercaptan s th ere bein g very l ittl e O il o r resid u e l e ft a fter t h e

,

e th ereal solution is allowed to e vaporate D i l ute su lph uric aci d was .

th en ad ded to th e alkalin e sol ution k ee p ing i t in an i ce m i xt ure , ,

an d th e m erca p tan s free O f any possibl e s ul ph id es collected with

, ,

e ther T his ethereal sol u tion w as d ried o ver fused calci u m chl orid e
.

fo r t wen ty fou r ho urs an d th en a fter fi ltration subj ected to frac

-
, ,

t i o n al distill ation 'th e sam e fraction s were Obtain ed as be fore 'th e

boilin g poi nt an d qu an tity O f e ach fraction rem ain ed practica lly th e

s am e .

'o r comparison th e m ercuric m ercaptid e o b tain ed by ad ding

,

m ercuric oxid e to an ethereal so l u ti on o f a was m ad e an d re c ry s t al

l iz e d from ether D ried i n the u su al m ann er th e m elting poi n t was
.
,

fo u nd t o be the sam e as the m ercaptid e previously d escribed —9 4

°

°
t o 95 C .

Th elead m ercaptid e was al so p re p ared i n the usu al m ann er an d

com b ustion an alyses m ad e The resul ts O f these an alyses h ave b een
.

al ready gi ven un d er Lead Butyl M ercaptid e page 3 3 3 ,

.

S Y N T HE TI C A L F ORM A TION O ' T HE HI G H E ' M ERC A PTA N S .

S e veralattem pts were m ad e to pre pare sy nth etically a m erca p tan

h avi n g an od ou r an d o ther pro p erties si m i lar to th e fractio n a o r B .

T h e m ethod em ployed w as t hat u sed by Klas o n ( B e ri c h t e x x , ,

p. Th e alcohols u sed were is o bu ty l alcohol an d iso amy l - -

alcohol T h e resu lts Obtain ed with iso b uty l alcohol were n ot satis
.
-

factory 'there appeared to be d eco m position prod u cts form ed when

th e alcoh ol was allowe d to d rop i n to th e con cen trated , an d fum ing
,

sul ph u ric acid T h e results obtain ed with i so amyl alcoh ol D O W

.
-
,
?
14 T h e S e c re t i o n f
o t h e A n al Glan ds f
o M e
p hi t i s M e h it i c a
p

e ver , were very sati s factory A bo ut fi fty gram m es O f pu re is o amy l

.
-

m ercapt an b oilin g b etween 1 1 5 an d 1 20 C w ere Ob tain ed wh i ch

° °
.

resem bled i n al l ou t w ard appear an ces th e fractions a an d B already

d escribed an d its od ou r in con cen trati on o r d il ution was h ard l y t o

,
.

b e disti nguish ed from th at o f th ese fraction s o r from th at O f t h e

origin al secret ion It gave th e m ercap t an reaction s an d coul d n o t
.
,

b y an y o f these reaction s b e distinguish ed from th e fraction s a an d

s of A .

I i n ten d i n th e n ear future to pre p are th e n orm al m ercaptan s o f

t h ese high er al coh ols an d com p are th em with th e fr action s o f A .

POR TI ON O ' T HE
'

S ECRE TI ON CA LL ED B .

Bh as a n eutral reaction a d ark red col our , an d an arom ati c an d

,
-

less pen etrating Od our th an ei th er A o r the secretion The origi .

n al colou r Of the secretio n can be n early brough t bac k by a d din g

a vol um e o f alcoh ol o r eth er t o B equ al to A This seem s t o .

ind icate that very littl e decom position h ad tak en pl ace i n d i still i ng
Off A .

B d i ffers fro m A in cont ain in g n itrogen an d in not reacting with

m ercuric oxid e m ercuric cy ani d e o r lead acetate 'i t resem bles A i n
, ,
.

givi ng al l th e other t ests referred to u n der th e sec retion I th erefore .

in fer th e absen ce O f m ercapt an s from B T his in feren ce w as p roved .

to b e correct , fo r u pon sh aki n g B w ith a fift y per cen t sol uti on O f - -

potassi u m hyd rox id e an d subsequ ently aci di fying an d sh aking o ut

,

w it h eth er a trace O f an O i l was O btain ed which failed to g i ve th e

,

m erca p tan tests .

Th e fact th at B con tain s n o m erca p tan s an d stil l con tain s a l arge

amo u nt o f s u l ph u r th at it i s i n sol u bl e i n a fift y per cen t sol ution o f
,
- -

potassi u m hy droxid e that it reacts with m erc u ric ch l orid e al so with

, ,

iodine an d brom in e an d th at i t is viol en tly attack ed by con centrate d

,
-

n itric acid j usti fy m e i n predictin g th e presen ce o f al k yl sulphi des

, ,

o r b od ies cl osely related t o th em in thi s po rtion O f the secretion

,
I .

am in cli ned t o b el ie ve from certain tests th at I h av e m ad e , th at

,

th ese sul ph ur bodies are co m b in ed o r m ixed with som e b asi c bod y

con tai n ing n itrogen .
 Th om as B . Ald rich 15

together wi th a b as i c b ody isolated from it will form the sub

B, ,

j c e t O f an other articl e .

T HE O D OUR O' T HE S ECRE TI ON .

It i s h ardly n ecessary to say that th e odo ur o f t he secretion is

exceed ingly persistent di ffu sibl e , an d p en etrating ,
.

T h e essen ti al pr i n cipl e in the secret i on h as b een attributed to

various su bstan ces ally l sulphid e an d th e lo wer m ercaptan s b eing ,

th e on es usu ally suspected .

T h e great d i ffusibil i ty an d th e pen etratin g property o f th e secre

tio n is d u e to fracti on A — th at is to the m ercapt an s 'th e perm a ,

n en cy O f th e Od ou r O f the secretion is attr i b utabl e to B which tends ,

to retain A an d at the sam e ti me to m odi fy its odo ur .

'

A M O U NT O' T HE S ECRE TI ON T H A T MAY B E RECO GNI S ED EY T HE

S EN S E O' SME LL .

In
ord er to test the sensiti ven ess o f the Ol factory n erves to ward
the fraction a an d thu s establ ish i ts iden ti ty with th e m ore vol atil e
an d Obj ection able portion O f the secreti on an d al so its relation to th e ,

m erca p tan s the follow in g ex peri m en ts were perform ed

,

A k n o wn we igh t Of a w as d i l v d i 5 00 bi
sso t i m t r f b ol t
e n cu c c en e es o a s u e

l
a coh o l . TO 10 bi cu c cen t i m t r f th i l ut i
e es O th r k n w n q u nt i ty
s so on an o e o a

of a c l oh l w o as add ed ,
an d fr m t h i l t
o l t i 2 3 cu bi c t i m tr
s as so u on or c en e es

we re t a k e n p l ac e d ,
in a b t t l i m il r t
o e s ed f w h i g g
a o d o ne us or as n as e s , an

bl o wn o ut i t n o a ro o m by m f b ll w
e an s ' om O p i ty 69 6 bi
a e o s . o ca ac ,
cu c

met r es .

Th e w e igh i n g t oo k p l ac e in an o th e r b u il di n g far fr o m t h e r o o m u s e d ,

an d th e p r e wh so n o m an i p u l ate d t h e b e ll o ws an d m i x e d t h e p o r t i o n O f a
w it h th e air b u il di g w h r t h
in t h e r oom h ad n ot b een in t h e n e e e se cre t i o n
w k p t d t h w ig h i g m d
as e an T h m ixi g w ti d f
e e n s a e . e n as c o n n ue o r at l e as t

ten m i ut by i g l rg p i c f t iff p p r f
n es A t a gi v
us n a e e es O s a e as an s . en s ig l na

p r wh h d
e so n s t pr vi ly b r t h su b t e nt r d t h
o a no e o us e en n e a e s an c e e e e ro o m .

'i t T i a l f m illig r m m
rs f r w m ix d w i t h t h
. i O a a e O a as e e a r Of th e
ro om Th Od r w. ry pp r t t ll e t ri g My p
ou as ve a a en o a on en e n . owe r to
d t t t h m rc p t
e ec h d h w v r b
e bl t d b y p r v i ous
e a an s a ,
o e e ,
een SO un e e co nt ac t

M . v. Nen c k i u N S i eb er . .
,
S it eb . d k a i s A k ad in
. . . Wi en ,
Mat h em . Clas s e , Mai, 1 8 9 1 ,
x cv iii A b t h II b . . .
,
S . 1 Sw r a t s, L e b g s A n n alen , 1 8 6 2 ,
i i ’
c xxiii S , . 26 6 .
 T h e S ecre t i o n M e h i t i s M e h i t ic a
16 f
o t h e A n al Glan ds f
o
p p

i
w th t h e bt th t I w su bl t d t t i th i dil t i
s an c e
y Od u r
a as u n a e o e ec n s u o n an o

w h t v r a l t h u gh I
a e e u l d t ill d t t m r t r
,
o f th r O d ri f r u co s e ec e e ac e s O o e o e o s

b dio 0 1 f m illigr m m dil ut d w i th 69 6 cu bi c m t r s f ai a ll o w

es . O . a a e e e e O r s

gy m
— m m i lligr m m t
5 3
1
ch cu bi t im tr a e o ea c c en e e .

S d T ial
e co n f m illigr m m r f w di t rib t d th r u gh t h
. O a a e O a as s u e o e

sa m r m e v r l d y ft r t h fi r t t ri l d ft r t h r m h d b
oo se e a a s a e e s a an a e e oo a e en

th u gh l y
o ro t i l t d Th O d r w f i t l y pp r t t ll
v en a e t ri g
. e ou as a n a a en o a on en e n ,

b t w
u t n ti bl aft r th y h d r m i d v
as n o o c ea sh rt t i m i t h e e e a e a ne e en a o e n e

r m A ft r th y h d fr d t h
oo . t ril f t h O d r i t h Op
e e a i th y ee e nos s O e ou n e en a r e

cou ld g i d t t it a a n t ri g t h r m I t h i t ri l t h li m i t f
e ec on re - e n e n e oo . n s a e O

dil t i u w pp r xi m t l y r h d I th i dil ut i
on as a w h
o i v ry a e e ac e . n s on e av e n e e

c u bi ti m t r
c c en f m illigr m m
e e G r t i g t h t 1 00 u bi c
“ 7 33 5 6 3 5 3 5
1
O a a e . an n a c

c en ti m tr f th i i
e es o r y t m k t h O d r id t i n th i dil u
s a r are n e c e s s a o a e e ou ev en s

ti on, w bl t r g i pp r xi m t l y W W 3mm f m illigr m m f

e are a e o ec o n se a o a e “,
O a a e O

a a d b n t f u r t i m th t q
a ou t i ty f t h o r ti es a u an o e sec e on .

E 'i h r . d P ldt h v f
s e d b y i m il r x p ri m
an t th te n zo is a e o un S a e e en s a one

abl t r g i e o m fiw w ecof m illigr m m

n se H f th y l m r p t Th O a a e O e e ca an . ese

r lt p r
es u th s t b by fove th m t d li t t t i g
e n o se pp r tu o e ar e os e ca e es n a a a s

k w f th
no m ll t q u
n, or ti ty f d i m t h t e s b d t t d by th
a es an O so u a c an e e ec e e

sp trec p i rl y t w h u dr d d fi fty t i m l rg r f th t h
o sc o e s n ea o n e an es a e an e

a m u t r q ir d f t h y l m r p t
o n e t r u
u eth O f m ll e e ca an o o se e se n se O s e .

Th im il ri ty f th y l m r p t a d t h fr t i
e S a i v r y t ri k i g i
O e e ca an n e ac on a s
“

e s n n

r p ct t di ffu ibili ty d p t r t i n g p w e r d i t i
es e o s d u b t th i p r t ian en e a o ,
an s no o s o on

co m bi d w i th t h fr t i
ne B d 7 w h i h gi v th er t i it l l p
ac on s an c es e sec e on s a -
er

v di g p r p r t y
a n o e .

L k f m a t e ri l h a p r e t d t h
ac o fu r th r tu dy f t h a p h y i l o gi l s ev n e e e s O e s o ca

p r p rti
o f th
e r ti es O I t k th lib r t y h w r f p r ti g
e s ec e on . a e e e ,
o eve , o ese n n c er

t i a n f t th t I h ac s g t h r d fr m ri a ur i r g rd t th
av e a e e o v a o us so c es n e a o e se

p r p r t i i t h h p t h t t h y w ill b f g
o e es, n r li t r t
e o e a e e O en e a n e es .

The su b st an ce i s a po werful an ms t h e t ic i an d has al so been used ,

as an antis p asm odi c When in h al e d withou t the ad m ixture o f a .

large am oun t o f air th e victim loses consciousness th e te m p erat ure ,

falls the p ulse S l ack en s and if th e i nhalati on were p ro longed the

, , , ,

resul ts woul d dou btless p ro v e fa t al .

Whe n recen t ly ej ected the fum es fro m th is li q u i d are o verp ower ,

in g ly p ungen t an d extrem ely irritating to t h e ai r p as s ages an d are ,

said to be ca p ab le O f prod ucing oed em a o f th e glottis It is also said .

to be an e ffi cacious re m e dv i n certa i n s p asm od ic a ffection s o f t he ai r

L ie b ig
’
s A n n alen , 2 3 9 , 1 3 1 .

f 'i c t o rMy r e e 11 . r
'ac o b s e n , L e h b uc h de r o gan Ch e m i e , p 2 2 5 r . . .

I S k un k P rf m e u e as an A n a es t h e t i c 'i rg i n i a M ed . . 188 1 v o l. v i ii
No . 5 , pp 35 9 , 3 6 0 . .
18 T h e S ecre t i on f
o t h e A n al Glan ds o f M ep h i t is M eph i t i c a

A b el *
h as isol ated from the dog s u rin e a s ub stan ce ( ethyl sulphi de)
’

closely rel ated to those fou nd in this secretion an d has ex p ressed the ,

b el ie f foun d ed o n certain experim ents th at it i s a n orm al prod u ct

, , '

o f cel l acti vity an d n o t a p rod uct O f p utre facti ve d ecom p osition i n

t h e intesti ne M y resu l ts su pp l emen t hi s a n d gi ve an o ther in stance

.

o f a h ighly u n oxid i zed su l phur compoun d wh ich i s formed i n th e

brea king do wn O f the protei d m olecu le an d which is protect ed in ,

som e w ay from oxidation o r i f ox i d i zed is subse q uen tly r ed uced

, ,
.

It is u seless to s p ecul ate o n the i m m ediate foreru nn ers o f this

su b stan ce o r substan ces w ith th e l i ttle k nowledge w e at presen t po s
sess F urth er ex am in ation O f th is in t eresting secretion an d fu rther
.
,

k n owl edge O f sul p h u r m etabolism are re q uired be fore we can th eo

,

rize with m u ch pro fit It would h owever be o f gen eral i nterest,

.
, ,

an d n o d o ub t in crease o u r kn owl edge i n this direction t o ex amin e ,

the urin e o f the sku nk an d d eterm in e the con dit ion O f its sul p h ur
con ten ts also to cond uct a n u m ber o f feed ing ex p erim en ts fo r the
,

pu rpose O f d etermining th e ch anges i n th e s ul ph u r con tents O f the

secretion an d o f th e urin e .

I wi ll say in cl osing th at a fter com pleting m y i n vestigation O f

t he secretion I i n ten d to carry on experi m en ts along th e l in es j ust
re ferred t o .

Zeitsc h r .
f .
p h ys i o l Ch em
. .
,
Bd . xx S ,
. 25 3 .