The Production of the Operative Substance from the Thyroid Glands and other Organs in an Unaltered Uncoagulable State.
Year: 1897

page_text: The Production of the Operative Substance from the Thyroid Glands
and other Organs in an Unaltered Uncoagulable State.
I, SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention (which has been communicated to me from
abroad by The Pharmaceutisches Institut Ludwig Wilhelm Gans, of Frankfort-
on-Main, in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturing Chemists,) to be as follows:-
I have discovered that the iodine substance of the thyroid gland is an albumin
iodide preparation produced by the action of iodine upon the specific albumin
body of the thyreoidea and that this albumin iodide is rendered uncoagulable by
formic aldehyd in an exactly analogous manner to egg and serum albumens. Its
solution in water loses by addition of small quantities of formic aldehyde the
property of coagulating by heat so that by this method a thyroid-gland-albumen-
iodide is obtained which is soluble in water and non coagulable. The driving off
of the superfluous formic aldehyde is unnecessary.
The production may take place in the following manner:-
Well purified, triturated thyroid glands are brought into a ¼ to ½ % for
example, formic aldehyde solution and left standing, after a few hours consider-
able quantities of iodine containing albumin bodies have passed into the liquid,
the maximum is reached after a few days. At this period the strongly soaked
insoluble thyroid gland residue still contains only small quantities of iodine, the
formic aldehyde solution has however taken up largely the iodine containing sub-
stance which is uncoagulable by heat.
If the solution be too dilute it may without harm be strengthened in a vacuum.
A second method of obtaining the operative iodine substance of the thyroid
gland in a non-coagulable state consists in heating the glands previously treated
with ether (whereby fat and blood are eliminated) with water under pressure. The
iodine is thereby not split off, but there is produced the corresponding atmid-
albumen or the atmidalbumenose modification of albumin iodide as obtained also
by the action of papayotin.
Such a production proceeds as follows:-
Thyroid glands are after cleaning with ether placed in water and heated in an
autoc.ave for one hour under a pressure of from 5 to 6 atmospheres; the greater
portion is thereby dissolved, the undissolved portion which contains fat still adher-
ing is after cleaning with water free from iodine. The solution in water therefore
contains the dissolved iodine substance; the iodine however remains in its organic
binding for there is no inorganic iodine in the solution.
The solution in water is evaporated in a vacuum to dryness for the final produc-
tion of the iodine substance. The resulting brown easily ground powder, which
is soluble in water contains from 1 to 2% of iodine according to the iodine per-
centage of the glands.

page_text: The above described preparations made uncoagulable which stands nearer to
the previously produced iodine substance of the thyroid gland than thyroiodin are
intended for use for medical purposes.
The above processes may also be employed for obtaining the operative portions
of other organs.
The Production of the Operative Substance from the Thyroid Glands
and other Organs in an Unaltered Uncoagulable State.
I, SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention (which has been communicated to me from
abroad by The Pharmaceutisches Institut Ludwig Wilhelm Gans, of Frankfort-
on-Main, in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturing Chemists,) and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
I have discovered. through my correspondents that the iodine substance of the
thyroid gland is an albumen iodide preparation produced by the action of iodine
upon the specific albumen body of the thyreoidea and that this albumen iodide is
rendered uncoagulable by formic aldehyde in an exactly analogous manner to egg
and serum albumens. Its solution in water loses by addition of small quantities
of formic aldehyde the property of coagulating by heat so that by this method a
thyroid-gland-albumen-iodide is obtained which is soluble in water and non
coagulable. The driving off of the superfluous formic aldehyde is unnecessary.
The production may take place in the following manner;--
Well purified, triturated thyroid glands are brought into a solution containing for
example, 4000 to 1/2000 of formic aldehyde and left standing, after a few hours
considerable quantities of iodine containing albumen bodies have passed into the
liquid, the maximum is reached after a few days. At this period the strongly
soaked insoluble thyroid gland residue still contains only small quantities of iodine,
the formic aldehyde solution has however taken up largely the iodine containing
substance which is uncoagulable by heat.
If the solution be too dilute it may without harm be strengthened in a vacuum.
The resulting product is a red brown fluid.
A second method of obtaining the operative iodine substance of the thyroid
gland in a non-coagulable state consists in heating the glands previously treated
with ether (whereby fat and blood are eliminated) with water under pressure. The
iodine is thereby not split off, but there is produced the corresponding atmid-
albumen or the atmidalbumenose modification of albumen iodine as obtained also
by the action of papayotin.
Such a production proceeds as follows:
Thyroid glands are after cleaning with ether placed in water and heated in an
autoclave for one hour under a pressure of from 5 to 6 atmospheres; the greater
portion is thereby dissolved, the undissolved portion which contains fat still adher-
ing is after cleaning with water free from iodine. The solution in water therefore
contains the dissolved iodine substance; the iodine however remains in its organic
binding for there is no inorganic iodine in the solution.
The solution in water is evaporated in a vacuum to dryness for the final produc-
tion of the iodine substance. The resulting yellowish brown easily ground powder,

page_text: which is soluble in water contains from 1 to 2% of iodine according to the iodine
percentage of the glands.
The above described preparations made uncoagulable which stand nearer to
the previously produced iodine substance of the thyroid gland than thyroiodin are
intended for use for medical purposes.
The above processes may also be employed for obtaining the operative portions
of other organs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The described method of obtaining the operative substance from the thyroid
glands and other organs in an unaltered uncoagulable state by treating the said
glands and other organs with a solution of formic aldehyde.
2. The described method of obtaining the operative substance from the thyroid
glands and other organs in an unaltered uncoagulable state by heating the said
glands and other organs with water under pressure.
3. As new articles of manufacture the substances herein described.
OLL 1
.
1000
SYDNEY PITT.