C. SUMNER WITHERSTINE, Philadelphia.
NUCLEINS.—.Nuclein is the principal proteid found in the nuclei of the cells of plants and animals or of yeast. It is an amorphous substance rich in phos phorus. On boiling with alkalies phos phoric acid is set free. Physiologically, nucleins may be said to. form the chief chemical constituents of the living parts of cells. The number of kinds of nucleins is limited only by the varieties of cells.
Chemically, the uucleins are complex proteid bodies characterized especially by the large amount of phosphorus they con tain. The phosphorus exists in the form of nucleinic acid, which is combined with a highly complex basic substance, the nucleinic acid of all nucleins being the same, the basic portion differing in the various nucleins. The basic substance, on decomposition, yields one or more of the xanthin bodies. The nucleins in gen eral are insoluble in dilute acids and soluble in dilute alkalies; hence they re sist peptic digestion and in this way may be separated from most other proteid bodies (Vaughan). Certain substances, histologically and functionally nucleins, do not yield any xanthin base (adenin, guanin, sarcin, xanthin) as a decompo sition-product. These are called para nucleins. Some of these are the ante cedents of true nucleins (Vaughan). Some nucleins are combined with albu mins, forming compounds known as nucleo-albumins. When one of these bodies is submitted to peptic digestion, the albtunin is converted into a peptone, and the nucleins form an insoluble pre cipitate (Vaughan).
The nucleins 'nay be obtained from many sources—from yeast, casein, the nuclei of blood- and pus- corpuscles, the liver, the spleen, bone-marrow, the thy roid and thymus glands, the testicles, the brain, or any structure containing nunierous cell-elements. Commercially,
nuclein is generally derived from yeast cells, and occurs as a dry powder or dis solved in a weak alkaline menstrutun.
Therapeutics.—Nuclein has been used with apparent benefit in the initial stages of pulmonary tuberculosis, in septimmia, in amygdalitis and pharyngitis, in pseu dodiphtheria, and as a dressing and in jection for indolent ulcers. Ferguson, of Toronto, successfully used nuclein in a t•f antrinia, in the treat nAnt el all the other remedies 1 1.,id failed.
.1..,kohn. of Nov York, attributes inw,tini: AIL- and curative properties to iw.'1,tin in eases of diplitheria„ scarlet ft 1, r. and measles. The injection of a in solution seemed to abort the at tat k quell the complications. The -t -ivtn was 5 minims of nuclein solu t on. lit ascribes to nuclein whatever tti'citney the diphtheria antitoxins and tht r co;_znate remedies may have. Hitch e‘ tk. of Detroit, observed a case of hip j, int disease in which great improvement ftllewed the systematic use of nuclein injections every second day. The patient ultimately recovered, and Hitchcock at tributes the result "very largely, if not entirely, to the long and persistent use nuclein." CONTRA-INDICATIONS.—NUCleirl =110llld not be given for long periods to gouty persons, as the researches of Hor baczewski, Weintraub, and Richter show ,hat the administration of nuclein, or of foods containing a large proportion of nuclein in their composition, increases notably the formation of the alloxuric baes the cause of the symptoms as cribed to uric acid.