PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. fhy si010gi c a1 Chemistry. Investigation of Hmsn Bile. By 0.JACOBSEN (Deut. Chem. Ges. Ber. vi 1026-1029). OUR knowledge of human bile is still incomplete owin to the difliculty of obtaining fresh bile in sufficient quantity. The file used for this investigation was obtained from an abscess of a strong healthy man It formed a clear dark yellowish-green and perfectly neutral liquid having at 17.5" the sp. gr. 1*0105-1.0107 and containing 2.24-2.28 per cent. of solid matter. Neither dextrose nor urea could be found in it but bilirubin and biliverdin were present. The ash con-sisted of :- In 100 pte of ash. In 100 pts. of dry bile. KC1 ............ 3-69 1.2% NaCl............ 65.16 24.508 Na2C03.......... 11.11 4.180 Na3POa..........15.90 5.984 Ca3(PO&. ....... 4.44 1.6 7'2 100.00 37.620 VOL. XXVII G ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS. It contained also small quantities of iron silica magnesia and a trace of copper which is found only in that portion of the bile which is insoluble in alcohol. The portion of dry bile which dissolves in ether contained:- Cholesterin ........................ 2.49 Fats and a little sodium oleate ........ 0.44 Lecithin (calculated from the amount of phosphorus). ..................... 0.21 -3.14 per cent. In the alcoholic solution were found :-Sodium glycocholate ................ 44.8 Sodium palmitate and stearate ........ 6.4 -51.2 10 per cent. is insoluble in ether and alcohol. Neither sulpbates nor the least trace of taurocholic acid could be found which however were present in varying quantities in the biles of persons who had died of various diseases; in one case even 14.2 per cent.of sodium tauroclrolate was present in the dry bile. It appears that the proportion of the two cholic acids varies also in a similar way in the biles of animals. Thus in several cases the author found that taurocholic acid preponderated in the bile of the ox. Choline appears also to be a normal constituent of human bile for on boiling it either when fresh or purified with barytai water trime- thylamine is always formed. c. s. Nuclein. By J. W. M~LLER (Pfliiger’s Archiv. f. Physiologie viii 190-194). ANexperimental critique on Miescher’s researches (Chem.Soc. J. [21 ix 742). The author concludes (1) that nuclein is a mixture of sub-stances ; (2) that it is a mixture of conjugate compounds of phosphoric acid with albuminous or albuminoid bodies ; (3) that it is not settled that nuclei is confined to the nuclei of cells. T.S. The Chemical Reactionof the Central Organs of the Nervous System. By R. Gs cH L E I D E N (Pfluger’s Archiv. f. Physiologie, viii 171-180). THISinvestigation was undertaken in order to test the statements of Haidenhain and Liebreich that the grey matter of the brain is acid in its reaction whilst the conducting fibres as well as the peripheral nerves have a neutral or feebly alkaline reaction. Plates of white clay or gypsum imbued wit,h litmus were employed in the author’s experiments and various animals were operated on The brains of seventy animals-horses dogs cats &.-were tested immediately after removal from the skull and found to have the grey PRPSIOLOOICAL CHEMISTRY.83 matter acid and the white matter neutral or slightly alkaline. In one instance only-in an oedematous brain- was the grey matter alkaline in reaction to litmus. The acid reaction of the grey substance is not a post-mortem phenomenon. The grey matter of the spinal cord was also found to be acid and the white substance neutral or feebly alkaline. These reactions correspond with the histological character of the grey and white subst'ances respectively. The grey matter owes its acidity to the presence of ganglion cells ; and these wherever found in quantity hare an acid reaction.It is impossible however to ascer-tain the reaction of these microscopic cells individually. If the grey and white substances be kept apart after death they re- tain their respective reactions of acidity and neutrality or alkalinity. Gschleiden thinks that the acid reaction of the grey substance is due to the presence of free lactic acid. T. S. Influence of the Addition of Fat to the Food on its Digesti-bility. By V. Ho F M E I sT E R (Landw. Versuchs- Stationen xvi 347-383). FOR these experiments two pairs of l& year old South Down wethers were selected each pair being considered as a single average animal. Each pair received daily 1340 grams of meadow hay and 670 grams of elovcr hay besides common salt and olive oil mixed with the food in the quantities indicated in tbe following table which shows the per- centage of the constituents of the food digested during the different periods of the experiments :-Pair A.Period. Food. A~ ~~~~$ ~ Fat. Fibre. ~h($;:&. ~-I. 13 days . . Hay and 10 grams salt 54 -7 53 *1 4'7 *9 57 -1 54 '0 11. 13 days . , 30 grams oil and 54.5 45 *1 62 '3 51 *1 57.p -! grams salt } 111.17 days. { , 45 grams oil and } 56 *5 51.4 68.6 52 *8 58.3 grams salt , 60 grams oil and IT.17 days . { grams salt } 58 *1 57 -4 77 -1. 55 *1 57 -1 TT. 14 days . , 60 grams oil and 57 -0 53 -1 79 *5 55 *7 53.1 2o grams salt } ABSTRACTS OF CHEiMCAL PAPERS. Pair B. Period. Food. Carbo-hydrates.Hay and 10 grains salt 57 -3 53 -9 62 -0 53 -9 59 -6 11.13days . , 30 grams oil,^ and 62.1 58.2 72 -15 59 -4 63 *5 I' 7 gr~mssalt } 111.17 days. { , 45 grams oil and 60.0 56 *O '71*6 5'7 *6 60 *75 grams salt } , 60 grams oil and 63.0 61.9 74.9 .56% 65 -2 IT.17 daye . grams salt } V. 14 days . , 60 grams oil and 57.1 52 *7 75.9 57 *6 55.4 2o grams salt } The clover used was harvested in August 1867 and then contained 17-12 per cent. of albumino'ids but at the commencement of these ex- periments in-March 1870 they had declined to 16.03 per cent. The digestibility of clover also decreases by keeping as shown by previous experiments of the author in which the digestibility of the constituents fell from the time of cutting in six months as follows :-Organic matter Albumino'ids Fibre Carbohydrates per cent.per cent. per cent. per cent. September 1866 .. 66.8 68.4 51.2 73.4 *'February 1867. .. 58.7 65.0 46.2 63.1 After allowing that 56 per cent. of the albumino'ids 58 of the fibre and 64 of the carbohydrates of the meadow hay were digested the cal- culated percentage digestibility of the clover hay in Period I on the average of both pairs of animals was organic matter 52.0 nlbunii-nojids 50.7 fibre 50.4 and carbohydrate 40.7 showing that its diges- tibility was much impaired by keeping owing both to chemical change and to loss of the most tender parts by powdering. G. Kuhn (Lmzdwirth. Verswchs-Stat.,xii 371) and Stohman (Zeitschg-. jiir Biologic vi,.pt. 2 27) have shown that the addition of fat does not increase the digesti- bility of meadow hay therefore the increased digestibility shown in these experiments must be due to the clover.Allowing the same digest)ion as before to the meadow hay the digestion of the clover with 60 grams of oil Period IV which was rather the most favourable experiment was organic matter 61.2 per cent. albuminoids 63.7 fibre 31.7 and carbohydrates 55.0 per cent. These numbers show a con-siderable increase on those for Period I and with the exception of that for carbohydrates agree well with the average percentage digestibility of clover in Wolff's experiments viz. organic matter 60.26 alburninoids 61.65 fibre 51.5 and carbohydrates 65.3. Unfortunately no direct experiments were made with this clover.The live weight of the animals altered but slightly during the experiments. The author con- cludes that the addition of 3 lb. of oil to 18-20 lb. organic matter in the food per 1,000 Ib. live weight of animal increases the digestibility of the organic matter of clover hay especially of the albumino'ids and PHYSIOLOBICAL CHEMISTRY. soluble carbohydrates raising them in the case of old clover hay to nearly their original standard. The oil added was digested in a high degree. The addition of 5 grams of salt per head to the food did not materially alter the digestibility but 10 grams per head slightly decreased it. E. K. Digestibility of the Fat of Hay. By E. SCHULZE (Landw. Versuchs- Stationen xvi 329-33.5). Trm author gives a list of the results of different experimentms on the digestibility of the fat of hay showing that the digestibility differs much in different hays and also in the same hay in different experi- ments ; with sheep it ranges from 8.5 to 60 per cent.The percentage of the ether extract soluble in cold alcohol from different samples of hay does not vary to any great extent being about 70 in the experi- ments of both Khig and Schulxe. This would indicnte that a part of the fat soluble in cold alcohol and also of the insoluble portion is digested though as shown by Konig’s analyses of the fat in the excre- ments those substances which contain least carbon are in both cases most easily digested. It is also probable that the difference in the progress of digestion in different experiments has more influence on the ether extract than on the other constituents of the food No satisfactory results on the assimilation of the fat can be expected except by direct experiments.E. I(. Further Researches on Abiogenesis. B;y D. H u I z I B G A (Pfliiger’s Archiv. f. Physiologie viii 180-189). THISpaper is in continuation of a previous memoir in the same Journal (vii 549). The author finds that the differences he had observed in the facility with which bacteria are developed in solutions of anhydrous and hydrated glucose respectively depend upon the pre- sence or absenceof another body intermediate between starch and glucose. This body forms an opalescent solution with water and is turned of a violet colour by iodine.Huizinga is of opinion that the only datum for determining the life of bacteria (Bacteria termo at least) is the propagation of the organism. T.S. Further Observations on the Temperature at which Bacteria Vibriones and their supposed Germs are killed when exposed to heat in a moist state and on the causes of Putrefaction and Fermentation. By H. C. BASTIAN (Proc. Roy. SOC.,xxi 3%-339). Experiments on the Development of Bacteria in Organic Infusions. By C. C. PUDE (Proc. Roy. and E. RAYLANKESTER SOC.,xxi 349-358).