Brain of Normal Humans Contains Alcohol In one of the most interesting and ably presented lectures that has ever been given at Chiao-Tung University Professor J. B. Niedetl, internation ally known' authority on the comparatively new branch of chemistry Known as "micro-analysis" and Pro~ fessor of Chemistry in New York University, related to the students and faculty on the afternoon of Nov. 16 how he found, during the days of prohibition in collaboration with Dr.
Gettler, toxicologist of New York City, the remarkable fact, that the brain of the normal human being contains alcohol, The quantity pres~ ent is, however, very small, being only 5 milligrams oF five-thousands of a gram. The average brain weighs about 1,400 grams, and by means of seam distillation a. volume of 2,000 cubic centimeters of liquid matter was obtained.
Through special micro-analytical technique, Dr. Niederl was able to Iolate this minute quantity of alcohol, which is only one-tenth of a tiny drop from the end of a burette, from the comparatively tremendous amount of material, and proved conclusively that It was alcohol of "the thy) cockialis. variety, the kind we get from our
Dr, Nieder! took as. his subject "The applications of micro-analysis"™ and illustrated his lecture with tan-tern slides. This branch of chemistry was originated in 1900 by Prof.
Enlch, of the University of Graz, Austria, and was developed by the late Prof, F. Pregel of the same city, to whom the Nobel Prize was award 1923 for. his revolutionary method of analysis, and of whom Di. Nieder! was a student and assistant. Tk has now reached the highest state of perfection in ils history at New York University to which students from allover the world now go seek instruction, Value {o Crime Detection Micro-analyslz, or the ehemteal an alysis of extremely small amounts of material, organic ay well a3 Inorgante, may be' quantitative or qualitative Tonday, quantative analysis of amount of a few thousands of a gam, amounts equal to n few poppy Seeds, 1s possible, whilst qualitative analysis of a millionth of a gram and even less, an amount equal to one: thousandth part of a single poppy seed also possible. The special technique, manipulative skill required well as the principles involved—aimple as they" are according to Dr. Niederi—may net concern the 1a man, but he can readily see that the applications of the micro methods of lysis are extremely valuable and slgnifeant, as for example in toxloology in the detection of poisons, and hheneo constitute an invaluable' too!
the, detection and solution of crime, The seasonal criminal may for leave any finger prints, but many instances he has left behind him tiny tell-lalo specks of swphur through the use of rubber gloves, which eventually led to his appre hension and conviction,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.