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BILE CONCRETIONS. CHOLESTERIN. 445
the lime-pigment stones are not found very often in man, hut often in
oxen.
The pigment-stones are generally not large in man, but in oxen and
pigs they are sometimes found the size of a walnut or even larger. In
most cases they consist principally of calcium-bilirubin with little or no
biliverdin, and they also often contain very small amounts of cholic acids.
Sometimes also small black or greenish-black, metallic-looking stones
are found, which consist chiefly of bilifuscin along with biliverdin. Iron
and copper seem to be regular constituents of pigment-stones. Man-
ganese and zinc have also been found in a few cases. The pigment-stones
are generally heavier than water.
The cholesterin-stones, whose size, form, color, and structure may vary
greatly, are often lighter than water. The fractured surface is radiated,
crystalline, and frequently shows crystalline, concentric layers. The
cleavage fracture is waxy in appearance, and the fractured surface when
rubbed by the finger-nail also becomes like wax. By rubbing against
each other in the gall-bladder they often become faceted or take other
remarkable shapes. Their surface is sometimes nearly white and wax-
like, but generally their color is variable. They are sometimes smooth,
in other cases they are rough or uneven. The quantity of cholesterin
in the stones varies from G42 to 981 p. m. (Ritter l
). The cholesterin-
stones sometimes contain variable amounts of lime-pigments, which may
give them a very changeable appearance.
Cholesterin. The formula for this body, although not positively
determined, is generally given as C27H46O (Obermuller) or C27H44O
(Mauthner and Suida).
Because of the fact that from cholesterin, hydrocarbons which
have been called cholesteriline, cholesterone and cholesterilene, can be
prepared in different ways, it was believed that a certain analogy exists
between the cholesterin and the terpenes. The color reactions as
well as the recent investigations on the constitution of cholesterin indicate
that this body belongs to the terpenes.
The constitution of cholesterin has not been completely determined,
although we have the very laborious and thorough investigations of
many workers of whom we especially mention Mauthner and Suida,
Windaus, Stein, Diels and Abderhalden.2
From these investigations
we conclude that cholesterin is a monoatomic, unsaturated, secondary
alcohol whose hydroxyl group exists in a hydrogenized ring, between
1
Journ. de l’anat. et de la physiol. (Robin), 1872.
2
The literature on cholesterin can be found in Windaus, Arch. d. Pharm., 246,
Hft. 2, and in Abderhalden’s Bioch. Handlexikon, Bd., 3, and also in Glikin, Bioch.
Centralbl., 7, 372-377.
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