Me*lan"i*line (?), n. (Chem.) A complex nitrogenous hydrocarbon
obtained artificially (as by the action of cyanogen chloride on
aniline) as a white, crystalline substance; -- called also diphenyl
guanidin.
Mel"a*nin (?), n. [Gr. me`las, -anos, black.] (Physiol.) A black
pigment found in the pigment-bearing cells of the skin (particularly in
the skin of the negro), in the epithelial cells of the external layer
of the retina (then called fuscin), in the outer layer of the choroid,
and elsewhere. It is supposed to be derived from the decomposition of
hemoglobin.
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