Mauve Spot and Schizophrenia
GEORGE L. ELLMAN PH.D.1,
REESE T. JONES M.D.2, , and
ROBERT C. RYCHERT 3
1 Chief research biochemist, research department, Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute, 401 Parnassus Ave., San Francisco, Calif. 94122, lecturer, department of biochemistry, University of California Medical Center
2 Staff psychiatrist, research department, Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute, 401 Parnassus Ave., San Francisco, Calif. 94122, assistant professor of psychiatry, University of California School of Medicine
3 Research assistant, research department, Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute, 401 Parnassus Ave., San Francisco, Calif. 94122
The authors confirm the reports of an Ehrlich-positive mauve-colored spot on chromatograms of urine extracts in certain schizophrenic patients, and a simplified procedure for performing the test is outlined. Although the data are consistent with earlier observations that certain abnormal materials occur with higher incidence in the urine of schizophrenic patients than in nonschizophrenics, experiments using thin layer chromatography of these materials suggest that the abnormal material may be phenothiazine metabolites.
