Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900 edition. Excerpt: ...is the name given to two organic acids, gfyco-cholic and taurocholic, which are always present in bile, and, indeed, form very important constituents of that secretion; they occur in the form of'tlieir respective sodium salts. In human bile both acids are usually found, but the proportion of taurocholate is variable, and in some cases this latter acid may be absent altogether. Among herbivora the glycocholate predominates as a rule, although there are some exceptions; among the carnivora, on the other hand, taurocholate occurs usually in greater quantities, and in the dog's bile it is present alone. Glycocholic acid has the formula CjgHNO, and taurocholic acid lias the formula CjjHNSOj. Each of them can be obtained in the form of crystals. When boiled with acids or alkalies these acids take up water and undergo hydrolytic cleavage, the reaction being represented by the following equations: + H20 = CMH,005-f CHZ(NH2)COOH. Glycocholic acid. Cholic acid. Glycocoll (amiiio-acetie acid). H20 = C24H005 + C1H4XHiaO, OH Cholic acid. Taurin (amido-sulplionicaci 1 Archives de Physiologie normals et pallwlogigue, 1892, p. 577. Taurocholic acid. Cholic acid. Taurin (amido-ethyl-sulphonicacid). These reactions are interesting not only in that they throw light on the structure of the acids, but also because similar reactions doubtless take place in the intestine, cholic acid having been detected in the intestinal contents. As the formulas show, cholic acid is formed in the decomposition of each acid, aud we may regard the bile-acids as compounds produced by the synthetic union of cholic acid with glycocoll in the one case and with tauriii in the other. Cholic acid or its compounds, the bile-acids, are usually detected in suspected liquids by the...
