THE PHENOL EXCRETION IN THE URINE OF INFANTS, INCLUDING THE NEW-BORN

Phenol was first found in normal urine by von Städeler¹ in 1851. Since his day the phenols isolated from urine are phenol, paracresol, orthrocresol, pyrocatechin, hydroquinone, and para-oxybenzoic acid. The most important of these, according to Baumann,² Mooser,³ and Siegfried and Zimmermann,⁴ is paracresol.

Städeler tested the urine distillate qualitatively with Millon's reagent. Baumann used a gravimetric method in which he converted the phenol into crystals of tribromphenol. The first volumetric method was originated by Messinger and Vortman. This was modified by Kossler and Penny,⁵ and later by Neuberg,⁶ Mooser,³ Siegfried and Zimmerman,⁷ and finally by Ellinger and Henzel.⁸ Among the colorimetric methods worthy of notice are those of Bananni,⁹ Bordas and Bobin,⁹ and Kiesel.⁹ It remained, however, for Folin and Denis to devise a method which was both accurate and clinically applicable.

In 1879 H. Senator,¹⁰