A Process for the Production of the Active Constituents of the Thyroid Gland.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 19th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 5th June, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Process for the Production of the Active Constituents of the
Thyroid Gland.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in
the County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
It is generally known that in cases of disease produced by the absence of the
thyreoidea (whether caused by degeneration or by ectomy), the feeding on fresh or
dried scutiform gland, or the injection of its juice is an infallible remedy.
Animals suffering from thyreoideal ectomy can thus be saved from certain
death.
But this holds good only for the preparations above mentioned, the remedial
action of which has not yet been effected by any of the constituents hitherto
known and more or less sharply differentiated.
There is thus but little doubt that this action of the scutiform gland does not
depend upon any one of its constituents, but that it is produced, as is the case with
many other medicaments, by the co-operation of the several constituents.
On the other hand, having regard to the liability of the scutiform gland to rapid
decomposition, it is of advantage to separate the active constituents entirely from
the inactive constituents aud to obtain the former in a permanent form.
The separation is best effected by extraction by means of the physiological
solution of common salt which, while it sufficiently extracts the thyreoidea, leaves
behind an inactive residue, the active constituents having all been dissolved.
From this solution there can be obtained according to the method of Haaf and
Traczewski by means of alcohol and the addition of ether, a precipitate which can
be well dried and is very permanent. As, however, thyrojodin and also anti-toxin
is soluble in alcohol, a greater or less quantity of these substances is removed by
the alcohol employed in this process. The presence of the two substances can be
readily proved in the filtered solutions.
My foreign correspondents have now discovered that by means of tannic acid
and its derivatives all the protein matters that have been dissolved can be
precipitated quantitatively in the form of tannates from the extract of thyreoidea
prepared with the solution of common salt. The solutions when filtered off from
the precipitates are free from iodine.
They do not shew any thyreoideal action, but the precipitate shows a complete
thyreoideal action.
The process is practically carried out as follows:-
Example:-1 kilo. of fresh scutiform glands freed from fat and reduced to a
paste by finely chopping, is well stirred for some hours with 3 kilos. of a solution of
common salt of 7.5 grammes per litre. The solution is separated by centrifugal
action from the solid parts which are then treated for a second time in the same
manner. Both extracts are clarified by filtration, and mixed with 300 grammes of
a 10 per cent. solution of tannin. There is then produced at once a gelatinous
deposit which is capable of filtration when heated to 70° or 80° C. Or the filtrate
may first be heated to 70° or 80° C. and then mixed with the tannin solution.
After having completely removed the liquids by filtration and washing with

page_text: water, the precipitate is dried and can be used without further treatment as a
medicament.
Dated this 21st day of July 1896
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Process for the Production of the Active Constituents of the
Thyroid Gland.
I, OLIVER IMRAY, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
It is generally known that in cases of disease produced by the absence of the
thyreoidea or thyroid gland (whether caused by degeneration or by ectomy), the
feeding on fresh or dried thyroid gland, or the injection of its juice is an infallible
remedy.
Animals suffering from thyreoideal cetomy can thus be saved from certain
death.
But this holds good only for the preparations above mentioned, the remedial
action of which has not yet been effected by any of the constituents hitherto known
and more or less sharply differentiated.
There is thus but little doubt that this action of the thyroid gland does not
depend upon any one of its constituents, but that it is produced, as is the case with
many other medicaments, by the co-operation of the several constituents.
On the other hand, having regard to the liability of the thyroid gland to rapid
decomposition, it is of advantage to separate the active constituents entirely from
the inactive constituents and to obtain the former in a permanent form.
The separation is best effected by extraction by means of the physiological
solution of common salt which, while it sufficiently extracts the thyreoidea or
thyroid gland, leaves behind an inactive residue, the active constituents having all
been dissolved.
From this solution there can be obtained according to the method of Haaf and
Traczewski by means of alcohol and the addition of ether, a precipitate which can
be well dried and is very permanent.
As, however, thyrojodin and also anti-toxin is soluble in alcohol, a greater or less
quantity of these substances is removed by the alcohol employed in this process.
The presence of the two substances can be readily proved in the filtered
solutions.
My foreign correspondents have now discovered that by means of tannic acid
and its derivatives all the proteic matters that have been dissolved can be
precipitated quantitatively in the form of tannates from the extract of thyreoidea
or thyroid gland prepared with the solution of common salt. The solutions when
filtered off from the precipitates are free from iodine.
They do not shew any thyreoideal action, but the precipitate shews a complete
thyreoideal action.
The process is practically carried out as follows.
Example:-1 kilo. of fresh thyroid glands freed from fat and reduced to a paste
by finely chopping, is well stirred for some hours with 3 kilos. of a solution of
common salt of 7.5 grammes per litre.
The solution is separated by centrifugal action from the solid parts which are

page_text: then treated for a second time in the same manner. Both extracts are clarified by
filtration, and mixed with 300 grammes of a 10 per cent. solution of tannin. There
is then produced at once a gelatinous deposit which is capable of filtration when
heated to 70° or 80° C. Or the filtrate may first be heated to 70° or 80° C. and
then mixed with the tannin solution. After having completely removed the liquids
by filtration and washing with water, the precipitate is dried and can be used
without further treatment as a medicament. The dried product is a loose powder
without odour and without savour, and insoluble in water."
By agitating this powder with water and adding 1 to 2 drops of caustic lye, a
clear rose coloration appears. By boiling the product with acetic acid, a gelatinous
mass is obtained. On boiling with concentrated mineral acid, the product is
decomposed and dissolved for the most part. The body can only be with difficulty
converted into ashes and it is necessary to aid its incineration with a little nitric
acid. The residue of incineration is about 0-55 % and contains a great quantity of
phosphoric acid.
By melting the product with sodium nitrate and sodium carbonate and dissolving,
the melted mass in water a solution is obtained, which becomes a clear yellow on
addition of nitric acid containing nitrous acid; by agitating this solution with
chloroform an intensive iodine reaction takes place.
The product contains about 0.4% of iodine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described process for the production of a substance containing the
active constituents of thyroid gland, by precipitating by means of tannic acid or its
derivatives the solution obtained by treating thyroid glands with a solution of
common salt.
2. As a new article of manufacture, the herein described substance containing
the active constituents of thyroid gland and produced as above set forth.
Dated this 19th day of February 1897.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.