Creatin and creatinin / by Edward Mellanby.

  • Mellanby, Edward, Sir, 1884-1955.
Date:
[1908?]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Creatin and creatinin / by Edward Mellanby. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    15/42 (page 461)
    (c) The influence of autolysing tissues on creatin and creatinin. Schmidt-Niels en{27) found an increase of xanthin bases and amino-acids in the autolysis of the muscle of fish, but it is only quite recently that any work has been done to discover how creatin and creatinin behave during autolysis. Seemann (33) endeavoured to prove that the autolytic breakdown of muscle results in an increase in the creatinin content. Not only so, but if gelatine is added to the autolysing muscle, he found a still further increase of creatinin. Seemann’s figures, however, are both scanty and unsatisfactory. He reverted to the older unsatisfactory methods of estim¬ ation. It may be stated here that the colorimetric method of estimation Seemann describes as unworkable, owing to the rapid disappearance of colour, but, so far as I know, this is the first time the colorimetric method has been quite condemned by one working with it. Whatever value Seemann’s theory of the origin of creatinin may have, no great weight can be attached to his experimental facts. Before the publica¬ tion of his results, work had already been done by the author on autolysing muscles with quite negative results. In order to prevent the adverse effects of antiseptic bodies, such as chloroform and toluol, efforts were made to cut out muscle aseptically. In many cases the experiments failed, for the muscle became septic in a few days after standing at a temperature of 37° C. Wherever the muscle became thoroughly septic, all the creatin in the muscle entirely dis¬ appeared. Exp. 1. 48*3 grs. of the leg muscle of a full grown rabbit were cut off aseptically and allowed to stand two days at 21° C. and two days at 28° C. On the third day a slight mould was evident and on grinding up the muscle did not smell quite fresh. Total creatinin estimated *383 p.c. Control muscle *430 The decrease on autolysis was no doubt due to the small amount of bacterial action which had gone on. Exp. 2. In this experiment the muscle stood five days at 37° C. and remained ab¬ solutely aseptic until the end. 64'5 grs. of the back muscle of a rabbit were autolysed and the creatinin estimated colorimetrically was ’403 per cent. Control muscle contained '390 per cent. In an alcoholic extract of the autolysed muscle no creatinin could be detected. It will be seen from the above experiments, that in autolytic experiments where every opportunity for complete breakdown has been offered, no change in the creatin content of the muscle can be detected. In both experiments the breakdown of the tissue was very