van den Bergh & Muller (1916) reported that there was a difference between bilirubin and the bilirubinlike pigment which is excreted in bile. They observed that bilirubin, and the serum pigment of patients with haemolytic jaundice, required ethanol for coupling with diazotized sulphanilic acid in acid solution. These materials were said to give an 'indirect' reaction. In contrast, the pigment of bile, and of sera from patients with obstructive jaundice and hepatitis, reacted 'directly', without the addition of ethanol. Cole & Lathe (1953) found that the direct and indirect types of pigment could
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