Research at the Pharmacological Institute of the German University, Prague About the oxidation of methyl and ethyl alcohol within the animal body by private lecturer Dr. Julius Pohl, assistant professor at the institute

People tend to equate the in vitro alcohol oxidation (via aldehyde to acid) with what happens in the animal body. However, the chemical experience shows, that the nature of the intermediate(s) and the yield of end product(s) varies with the organism studied. The animal has a peculiar oxidation ability: some substances are oxidized almost completely whereas for others the oxidation might be restricted. The different stages of a substance circulating in the animal body are far away from being certain. Every single case needs to be verified with an adequate experiment. According to LIEBIG ethyl alcohol oxidizes first to aldehyde, followed by lactic acid, oxalic acid, formic acid and carbonic acid. DUCHEK and his scholar KRETSCHY declare that after ethyl alcohol administration aldehyde was found not only in the stomach, but also in blood and liver distillates by simple detection with silver nitrate. BUCHHEIM, MASING, SETSCHENOW, LALLEMAND, PERRIN and DUROY contradict those findings. A recent observation by ALBERTONI 2) (given it can be confirmed) is pointing to a more complicated way of alcohol oxidation than previously thought. He could show, that even small amounts of acetaldehyde (e.g. 1mL diluted solution, taken via mouth or nose) would be secreted unchanged via the lung or kidney. But he was never able to detect aldehyde in the expiratory air or urine after application of alcohol. ALBERTONI 3) concluded that an oxidation of alcohol with aldehyde as intermediate is unlikely, but he did not express an idea how else the oxidation would proceed. Because these findings were not gained by quantitative analysis they do not prove the complete inability of the animal body to oxidize aldehyde. For the extraordinary interest of alcohol oxidation within an organism I have chosen methyl alcohol – the simplest alcohol – for several experiments. I would expect the results to be useful for the fate of ethyl alcohol as well.