141 - 1917: Un metodo “micologico” per la ricerca degli zuccheri nelle urine
Autore/i: G. Dall'Olio
Rivista: RIMeL - IJLaM, Vol. 1, N. 2, 2005 (MAF Servizi srl ed.)
1917: A mycological method for detection of different sugars in urine.
In 1917 Aldo Castellani, an italian physician well renown for his work and his discoveries in bacteriology and tropical diseases, reported a method for the detection of glucose and other sugars in urine based on the power of certain species of hypomycetes to ferment carbohydrates.
The analytical process is quite uncommon for a clinical chemist: many chemical methods for urine glucose analysis used in second half of 19th century required less time and work. Castellani and co-workers, accustomed to the tedious microbiological methods, point out the major strenght of the mycological test: the capability to detect and separate different sugars (glucose, levulose, galactose, maltose, lactose or pentoses) in urine analysis employng the specific actions of the different monilias mushroom on different
carbohydrates.