i 34 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMlCdL PAPERS. Physiological Chemistry. Effect of Inhalation of Alcohol on the Viscosity of the Blood. R. BURTON-OPITZ (Arne?.. J. Phy&oZ. 1914 35 265-267. Compare A. 1905 ii 98).-The inhalation by dogs of air charged with methyl or ethyl alcohol is associated with a marked increase in the viscosity of the blood The general appearance of the blood as well as the decided increase in its specific gravity indicates that the change in the viscosity is due t o an accurviulatioii of excretory material rather than tot a direct destructive action of the alcohol on the cellular constituents of the blood. The action of methyl alcohol is as great as that of ethyl alcohol and the changes in both cases result very soon after the beginning of the inhalation. H.W. B. Changss in the Hydrogen Ion Concentration of the Blood Produced by Pulmonary Ventilation. T. H. MILROY (Quart. J. expt. Phpsiol. 1914 8 141-154).-Pulmnnnry ventilation with air or with air and o'xygen produces a rapid fall in the hydrogen ion concentration of the blood especially if the period of ventila- tion is short. This results in apncea during which the hydrogen ion concentration rises. Subsequeint ventilation with air rich in carbon dioxide raises the hydrogen ion co'ncentration and noPHYSlOLOGICAL CIiEMISTIiY. i. 33 cessation of breathing takes place. The hydroEen ion concentra- tion is closely related to carbonic acid concentration and influences the activity of the respiratory centre. Blood and Urinary AmylaEe. C. E. Kmc (AWLOT. J. I’hysiol.1914 35 301--332).-The amylolytic power of the blood and urine of the dog cat pig rabbit woodchuck raccoon goat opossum and man under various conditions has been estimated by a modification of Wohlgemuth’s method (A. 1908 ii 444). The amylolytic power o;f’ the blood-serum and urine of different species of animals varies in a manner that is not accounted for by differences in diet and feeding habits. The serum of the goat which is entirely herbivorous has only about one-twelfth of the amylolytic activity of that of either the dog or the cat. Those animals which secrette an amylolytic enzyme in the saliva have generally as compared with those the salivary secretion of which is inactive a larger proportion of amylase in the urine. Feeding with a high carbohydrate diet does not increase the quantity of urinary amylase.A t birth the pancreas in the case of the dog or cat contains only a little amylase and the urinary amylase is also low. As the animal grows the increase in pancreatic amylase is found t o run parallel with the output of urinary amylase. Removal of the pancreas leads to an almost complete disappearance of amylase from the urine and diseases of the pancreas which depress its activity are also associated wilh a decrease in urinary amylase. These considerations and the fact that amylase injected into the blood reappears in the urine lead the author t o the conclusion that urinary amylase arises chiefly by the passage of the amylolytic enzymes from the salivary gland and the pancreas into the blood and their subsequent elimination by the kidneys.Wi. D. €1. H. 147. B. Prothrombin. W. H. HOWELL (Arnar. J. PX?ysioZ. 1914 35 474-482. Compare A. 1912 ii 1078).-The author brings for- ward evidence in supportl of the view that the failure of blood t o clot in the blood vessels is due to the presence of antithrorrlbin and not’ t o the absence of thrombokinase. Prothrombin is pre- pared free from all the other constituents of the blood which take part in blood coagulation with the possible exception of traces of antithrombin by precipitating oxalated plasma with acetone and then extracting the dried precipitate with water. The solutions of prothrombin so obtained are fairly stable and can be heated a t 60° without entirely losing their coagulating power. The addi- tion of calcium salts is found to be sufficient to enable this pro- thrombin t o transform fibrinogen into’ fibrin the addition of kinase being unnecessary.The objection that the prothrombin is accompanied by kinase has been ruled out by testing with peptone plasma which is coagulated by kinase but not by thrombin. The prothrombin extract did not coagulate peptone plasma. An extract of blood platelets is said t o contain both prothronlbin VOL. CVIIT. i. ei. 36 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS. and thromboplasti~i (the substance which neutralises the action of antithrombin) because of its clotting action 011 peptone plasma. The presence of prothrombin in the circulating blood is indi- cated by the clotting which follows the addition of calcium salts and tissue extract to centrifugalised oxalated plasma.I n shed blood disintegration of the platelets furnishes an additional supply of prothrombin and thromboplastin both of which are factors tending to hasten the coagulation of the blood. Coagulation of Lymph. W. H. HOWELL ( A m e y . J. Pltysiol. 1914 35 4 8 3 4 9 1 . Compare preceding abstract).-Lymph plasma contains antithrombin in the same concentration as in blood plasma. When freed from corpuscles by long centrifugalisa- tion the lymph plasma clots with great slowness owing to a relative excess of antithrombin. Addition of tissue extract or of kephalin solution to such plasmata. causes prompt clotting. The presence of antithrombin in the lymph prevents the activation by calcium salts of the prothrombin of the circulating lymph into thrombin.I n shed lymph a supply of thromboplastin is furnished by the lymphocytes but more slowly than in the case of the blood in which the additional thromboplast'in is derived from the unstable platelets (Zoc. cit.). H. W. B. H. W. B. The Effect of Temperature on Thrombin and Antitbrombin. W. H. HOWELL (Amw. S. Physiob. 1914,36 1-7).-At temperatures approximating to the body-temperature the action of antithrombin is greatly augmented and this may be a factor of importance in maintaining t@e fluidit~y of blood during life. The effect of high temperatures (60-100°) in weakening or destroying the activity of thrombin is greatly increased by the presence of neutral salts such as sodium chloride. W. D. H. Effect of Filtration Through a Berkefeld Filter on the Coagulability of Oxalated Plasma.C. H. GODDARD (Arrrev. J. Physinl.. 191 4. 35 333-339. Compare Cramer and Piingle A. 1913 i 417).-The auhhor finds that the various proteins in oxalated plasma filter a t different rates through a Berkefeld filter. The first portion of the filtrate does not contain any fibrinogen and therefore does not clot on the addition of soluble calcium salts or of an active solution of throlmbin. The last portion of the filtrate clots promptly when calcium chloride is added whilst intermediate portions may either not clot a t all on the addition of calcium salts or may show a delayed coagulation. Since the filter thua holds back not only the suspended blood-platelets but also the proteins concerned in the coagulation process it follows that the views of Cramer and Pringle (Zoc.c i t . ) regarding the essential function of the platelets in the coagulation of the blood are not confirmed. The plasma of oxalated lymph which does not contain any blood-platelets behaves as regards the coagulation of thePHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. i. 37 successive filtrates in the same way as oxalated blood- plasma. €€. 'cy. B. Immunisation Against the Anti coagulating Efftct of Hirudin. MIGUEL VERA and LEO LOEB (J. Biol. Chem. 1914 19 305-321).-A full account of work of which a preliminary note has already appeared (A. 1914 i 617). H. W. B. The Effect of Shaking on Serum. HANS SCHXIDT ( J . Hygitne 1914 14 399-416).-Shaking serum with air prduces coagula- tion and denaturation of the euglobulin due to alteration in the surface energy of the serum leading to adsorption of albumin thus rendering the euglobulin labile which then coagulates and becomes insoluble. The process is not due to oxidation; it is shown that conditions which render the euglobulin more stable such as previous heating and the presence of a hypertonic medium tend tlo inhibit the effect of shaking whereas dilution with water or storage rendering the euglobul& labile favours the effect of shaking.W. D. H. Serological Tests. L. G~ZONY E. HINDLE and P. H. Ross ( J . Hi~gierts 1914 l4,354-359).-Sera and antieera kept in the dark in sealed tubes occasionally give specific reactions after twelve years. I n most cases the results are negative especially in anti- sera. Fowl or human blood gives specific precipitin and comple- ment-fixationyeactions after being in the alimentary canal of blood- sucking arthropods for a t least twenty-three months.W. D. H. The Chemical Control of the Gastric Hunger Contractione. A. B. LUCKHARDT and A. J. CARLSON (Amerr. J. Physiol 1914 36 37-46).-Blood from starving animals and from animals with- out a pancreas transfused into normal animals acts as a tern- porary stimulus to the gastric hunger mechanism. Excessive hzemorrhage has a similar effect. Starvation pancreatic diabetes and possibly large hzemo'rrhages increase some substance or sub- stances which act as stimuli t'o hunger contractions of the stomach. Acidosis is not responsible f o r the result since injection of the acetone group of substances is ineffective in this direction. W.D. H. The Influence on Metabolism of Small Amounts of Thyroid Uland and of Anterior Lobe of Pituitary. JAMES ARTHUR HJCWITT (Quart. J. expt. Yhgsiol. 1914 8 113-124).-0*5 Gram of fresh ox thyroid per diem in an adult rat causes loss of body- weight and increases the appetite. Double this dose lessens appetite. The smaller dose causes more retention of nitrogen than the larger. Simultaneous administration of smail amounts of anterior lobe of ox pituitary has no influence on tnese results. W. D. H. e 2i. 38 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS. The Influence on Metabolism of Small Amounts of Thyroid Gland and Porsterior Lobe of Pituitary. JAMES Arm UR HEWITT (Qucwt. J. expt. Z’IqsioZ 1914 8 29’7-302).-Do~es less than 0.25 gram of fresh ox thyroid in a rat cause an increase of weight and increase the appetite; a dose of 0’25 gram at first diminishes the appetite and later increases the food consumed.The smaller dose causes a greater retention of nitrogen than the larger. Doses of 0.125 to 0.25 gram increase the excretion of ammonia in the urine and tihis is still f urtlier raised by simultaneous administra- tion of small amounts of posterior lobe of ox pituitary. W. D. H. Water Drinking. XX. P ~ I L I P €3. HAWK (Biochenz. Bull. 1914 3 420434).-Mainly a rBsum6 of tlhe autlior’s previous work and conclusions; the main result is that the drinking of a reasoiiable amount of water with meals will promote the secretion and activity of the digestive juices the digestion and absorption of food will retard the growth of intest,inal bacteria and lessen the putre- factive processes in the intestine.W. D. H. Water Drinking. XXI. Direct Demonstration of the Stimulatory Power of Water in the Human Stomach. OLAF BEROEIM MARTIN E. REHFUSS and PHIL~P B. HAWK (J. Bid. Chem. 1914 19 345-371. Compare A. 1914 i 1107).-Experiment~ on human subjects are described in which the variations in the acidity of samples of the contents of the stomach are determined after the ingestion of varying quantities of water. It is found that water (ordinary or distilled) either cold 01 warm is a very strong gastric stimulant and in some cases lead! to a flow of gastric juice containing in less than twenty minutes sufficienti acid t o neutralise its own volume of AT/lO-sodiun hydroxide. The acidity of the gastric juice secreted after wate stimulation ranges from 0.18 t o 0.44% of hydrochlorlc acid wit1 an average value of 0.28%.As small a volume of water as 50 c.c is shown tol have a pronounced and immediate stimulatory powe in the human stomach. I n the normal individual water produce fully as great a stimulation as does an Ewald test meal and th acidity values follow a similar type of curve. Evidence of “ latent period ” or of “ fatigue ” could not be di( covered in the case of the gastric glands of the human stoniacl The flow of gastric juice sometimes continued after bhe water whic had evoked its secretion had passed on intol the intestine. Tk stimulatory power of the water is not influenced in a uniform wa by the volume of fluid introduced into the’stomach. I n son instances a small volume of water gave a pronounced stimulatio whereas in others the response was relatively less pronounced whc a larger volume of water was employed.The authors draw the conclusion that t o drink water betwet meals appears t o result in a waste of “glandular energy.” seems that watier can best further the digestive processes whc taken with instead of between meals. H. W. B.PIIYSIOLOGICAL CIIEMLSTNY. i. 39 Vttlue of the Proteins of the Cereal Grains and of M~lk for Qrowth in the Pig and the Influence of the Plane of Protein Intake on Growth. E. V. MCCOLLUM ( J . B ~ o l . C'hem. 1'314 19 323-333. Compare A. 1913 i 549).-The author has deter- mined the amount of nitrogen retained by pigs fed on various grains for periods of forty to sixty days.The results show that in the young pig the growth tendency is so great that the synthesis of body protein is effected a t the maximum rate possible with the particular mixture of amino-acids yielded by the food protein. The more protein given in the food the more rapid is the growth of the animal and the larger is the absolute quantity of nitrogen retained. The constancy of the proportionate amount of ingested protein which is retained in the body a t different planes of protein intake indicates that the rate of retention of nitrogen is limited by the chemical composition of the food proteins and not by the physiLlogica1 capacity cE the pigs to grow. There appears t o be very little difference in the value for growth of the protein mixtures contained in thel three cereal grains wheat oat and maize. A maximum of 23-24% of the ingested nitrogen from any one of these sources can be retained for growth.Feed- ing with mixtures of these grains did not lead to a greater reten- tion of nitrogen than was attained by restricting the diet t o a single source for the protein. I n two experiments in which the source1 of nitrogen was milk protein the retention of nitrogen amount.ed to as much as 60% of the nitrogen absorbed. Influence on Growth of Rations Restricted to the Maize or Wheat Grain. E. B. HART and E. V. MCCOLLUM (J. Biol. Chew. 1914 19 373-395. Compare A. 1914 i 620).-When pigs are restricbed to a diet of maize meal and gluten little or no growth is secured; but' with an addition of salts making the entire ash content of the ration very similar in quality to that of milk approximately normal growth is attained.When the diet consists wholly of wheat growth is again limited with both pigs and rats. The addition of salts induces more growth but the beneficial effect is now found to be only temporary (compare McCollum and Davis A. 1913 i 551). The further additlion of butter-fat to the diet of wheat and salts results in the attainment of an almost iiormal growth. The animals remain vigorous and stroiig for a long period but in some individuals a partial decline mainly character- ised by stiffness ultimatlely sets in. The addition of casein to the wheat-salts-butter-fat diet secures a completely normal growth for pigs and rats. Normal reproduction as well as normal growth has been obtained with such rations.The Digestibility of Maize Consumed by Swine. S. C. GUERNSEY and JOHN M. EVVARD (Biochem. Bull. 191 4 3,369-372). - Maize was prepared in five differentl ways and the food and fxxes were analysed. The results are given in tabular form. Digesti- bility and the time required for digestion are closely correlated. W. D. H. H. W. B. H. W. B.i. 40 ABSTHACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS. Toxicity of Phenolic Compounds on Amphibian Eggs. Ross A . GORTNER and ARTHUR Bf. BAKTA (Biochem. Em?/. 1914 3 357-368).-Amphibian eggs and embryos are killed by an 0.05% solution of “ tricresol ” within three days; smaller doses kill in a longer time or retard development; there is some difference of resistance between frogs’ eggs and salamanders’ eggs. Similar details are recorded for orcinol resorcinol catechol phloroglucinol tannin guaiacol tyrosine and tyrosol.Pigment formation is inhibited by most of the reagents mentioned. Tyrosine which is very slightly toxic increases pigmentation. The Viscosity of Bile. R. BURTON-OPITZ (Biochem. Bull. 191 4 3 351-356).-Ox bile is less viscous than dog bile; the former contains only traces of mucin. High viscidity and viscosity do not however always go together. Lowering the temperature raises the viscosity (and the specific gravity). A slight decrease in viscosity occurs on autolysis. Tables of illustrative measure- ments are given. W. D. H. W. D. H. The Origin of the Active Material of the Posterior Lobe of the Pituitary. P. T. HERRING (Quart. J. expt. Physiol. 1914 8 245-266).-Any action in stimulating the uterus and milk secre- tion produced by extracts of the anterior lobe of the pituitary is a product of the cells of the pars intermedia; extracts of this pa.rt have very little pressor action or action on the kidney.Repeat’ed doses confer no immunity in reference to uterine contraction. Ex- tracts of the pars nervosa act on blood pressure as described in previous communications on the uterus kidney and mammary gland. This action may be due t o separate principles but these are all formed in the pars intermedia; their hyaline secretion is stored in the pars nervosa and may pass into the cerebro-spinal fluid. W. D. H. The Physiological Activity of the Pars Intermedia and Pars Nervosa of the Ox-pituitary Compared. P. T. HERRING (Quart.J . expt. Physiol. 1914 8 267-274).-The action of extracts of the pars nervosa in the uterus is from 2 to 5 times more powerful than that of extra’cts of the pars inhermedia. The former have no action a t all on blood pressure and on the kidney. This sort of evidence although not conclusive suggests that the actions are due to more than one substance. The substance acting on the uterus is possibly an early result of the breaking down of the pro- duct formed in the cells of the pars intermedia and that acting on the kidney and on blood pressure is formed later. W. D. H. Differential Fat-Staining. E. T. BELL (J. P n h Bact.. 1914 10 105-1 13).-Ths dichromate-Sudan I11 stain demonstrates fat droplets in thin paraffin or frozen sections. The annular droplets are probably triolein; the solid spheres are mainly lipoids.I n most moderately fatty human kidneys the fat is chiefly lipoid; inPHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMIS'l'1LY. i. 41 the liver it is chiefly triolein. I n rats fe,d heavily on olive oil the convoluted urinary tubules may become filled with droplets which are mainly triolein. W. D. H. Acidosis in Omnivora and Herbivora and its Relation to Protein Storage. H STEENBOCK V. E. NELSON and E. B. HART (!. Biol. Chem. 1914 19 399-419).-Cerexl grains when hydrolysed and oxidised in the body yield a preponderance of acid radicles. On such rations the ammonia content of the urine is high with a compensatory fall in the output of urea. The addition of basic salts to the food is followed by a diminution in the urinary ammonia and an increase of urea.The conclusion drawn by the authors is that naturally acid rations such as the cereal grains if otherwise satisfactory are as effective for growth and reproduction as those of basic character. The ingestion of mineral acids results in a large output of ammonia to effect its neutralisation and it is only when the amount of acid ingested is excessive that the skeleton is drawn on and decalcification cd the bones takes place. On returning to a normal diet there is a rapid storage of calcium and also of nitrogen. H. W. B. Fasting Studies. XIV. The Excretion of Urinary Indican During Two Fasts of One Hundred Days Each. CARL Y. SHERWIN and PHILIP I;. HAWK (Biochem. Bull. 1914 3 416-419. Compare A. 1914 i 222).-The first fast in a dog lastled 117 days and the indican output was continuous and fairly high throughout; the second fast in the same animal lasted 105 days; the indican was less and entirely disappeared after fifty-seven days.As previously shown (( repeated fasting " leads to greater resistance in an animal. W. D. H. The Pressor Bases of Normal Urine. WILLIAM BAIN (Quart. J. expt. P?t,ysioZ. 1914 8 229-24 I).-The pressor bases of t'he urine can be best separated by adsorption by charcoal from which they can subsequently be extracted. The most abundant base present is soluble in ether and volatile with steam. It was isolated as an oxalate which in physical characters and elementary analysis was shown to be identical with isoamylamine oxalate. After thorough extraction by ether there is evidence of a second pressor base in some urines which is however not tyramine.Its nature is not yet determined. The pressor effect of this second base may be preceded by a fall of pressure which may possibly be due to Abelous' uroliypotensine. Trimethylamine is not a pressor substance; such action if present in commercial specimens is due to impurities. W. D. H. Metabolic Factors in Beri-Beri. I. The Effect of Increasing the Carbohydrate Ration on the Development of Poly- neuritis in Birds Fed on Polished Rice. W. 1;. BRADDON and E. A. COOPER ( J . Hygiene 1914 14 331-353).-1n the preparationi . 42 A llST It ACTS OF CEl EM ICA 1 PAPERS. of a dietary t o obviate beri-beri not only the amount of anti- neuritic material must be considered but also its calorific value.Especially i t is necessary to maintain a proper proportion of carbo- hydrate intake. The amount of antineuritic substance required increases with the quantity of carbohydrate metabolised ; the pmcise proportion is not yet determined. The Iron of Organs in Bronzed Diabetes (HEmochro- matosis). ROBERT MUIR and JOHN SIIAW DUNN (J. Pdh. I h c t . 1914 19 226-238).-This condition is associated with cirrhosis of the liver and pancre’as. Hzemosiderin is deposited in the skin and other organs; there is a large increase of iron in the organs especi- ally in lymph glands liver and pancreas. There appears t o be no increase in hzemolysis but the source of the iron appears t o be twofold normal hzemolysis and iron from the food; the cells have an increased affinity for iron.JOHN P. KINLOCEI ( J . Yuth. Buct. 1914 19 77-101).-Tn the glomeriilsr nephritis of scarlet fever and diphtheria the water and nitrogen excreted arc lessened ; in interstitial nephritis this does not cccur. Detzils arc also given in reference t o the salts. The glomerulus is regarded as secreting more nitrogen than has been previously assumed. The glomerulus also has a special secretory function towards chlorides. but not towards phosphates. It excretes sulphates independently of nitrogen. Nitrogen and phosphate excretion are not affected by degeneration of the tubular epithelium. Re-absorption in the tubules does not explain all the variations in chloride excretion neither does it definitely influence the output of phosphates and sulphates. W. D. €1. Regulation of the Blood Volume in Experimental Nephritis. R.A. CHISOLM (J. Path. Bact. 1914 19 265-275).- Extracts made with Ringer’s fluid of kidneys rendered nephritic by uranium nitrate or potassium chromate contain a substance which hinders the passage of fluid from the vessels to the tissues when infused into rabbits. This substance which is not a coagulable protein is absent in normal kidneys. The Thermoprecipitin Method in the Diagnosis of Bubonic Plague in Cadavere. C~ARLOTTE E. WARNER (J. Hygiene 1914 14 360-371).-This reaction between plngue- immune serum and ext’racts of plague bacilli is specific and can be used t o diagnose plague in cadavers butl doubtful and negative reactions do not exclude plague>. The method although useful as a confirmatory reaction can therefore not replace the usual bacteriological methods.W. D. H. JACOB L ~ O S E N - BLOOM (Biochsm. Bull. 1914 3 373-374).-Tbis much discussed method gave in the author’s hands trustworthy results. W. D. H. W. D. I€. The Urinary Solids in Nephritis. W. D. H. The Abderhalden Serum Test for Pregnancy. W. D. H.PHYSIOLOGLCAL CHEMISTRY. i. 43 Landau’s Test for Syphilis. J. BRONFENBKENN ~ i i and J. ROCKMAN (Biochem. Bull. 1914 3 375-:BO).-This test is based on the property of syphilitic serum of combining with iodine. The test is found not t o be specific but is given frequently by normal serum. W. D. H. Purified Antigen of Besredka in the Serum Diagnosis of Tuberculosis. J BRONFENBRENNEIC and J. ROCKMAN (13ochcm. Bull. 1914 3 375-376).-Removal of the lipoids does not affect the antigenic properties of Besredka’s tuberculin.What protein or protein derivative is the really active agent is not yet determined. W. D. H. Besredka’s Tuberculin. J. BRONFENBRENNER and J. ROCKMAN (Biochsm. BUZZ. 1914 3 381-385).-Further work in attempts to ascertain the active substance. The tuberculin was found t o pre- sent many differences in activity in different preparations. Possi- bilities to explain these are discussed but no conclusion is reached. W. D. H. Resistance of the Vaccine Virus to Filtration. A. 13. GREEN (J. Hygiene 1914 14 182-1S5).-The virus in vaccine lymph (calf) does not pass through a Herkfeld V filter; either its mole- cules are too large or it is contained within a. substance with large molecules. It is improbable that passage through a filter destroys its activity.W. D. H. The Effect of Radiant Energy on the Lens and Humors of the Eye. W. E. BURGE (Amer. J. Physiol. 1914 36 21-36). -Radiation from a quartz mercury vapour lamp intense enough to coagulate egg-albumin and similar proteins in an hour does not coagulate the proteins of the lens or of the humors 09 the eye or affect their transparency after 100 hours’ exposure. The most effective region of the ultra-violet spectrum in coagulating egg- white lies around 265 pp. Solutions of calcium or magnesium chloride sodium silicate or dextrose too weak to affect the traas- parency of the lens in themselves modify conditions so that ultra- violet light can precipitate the lens protein and produce opacity. Lenses affected by cataract contain excess of such substances ; hence the prevalence of cataract in diabetes.The same substances decrease the fluorescenoe of the lens. Radiation from the infra- red and visible region of the spectrum has no such effect provided coagulation by heat is excluded. W. D. H. Is the Antagonistic Action of Salts Due to Oppositely Charged Ions? JACQUES LOEB (J. BioZ. Chena. 1914 19 431443).-The author ascertains what are the concentrations of various salts which are just sufficient to prevent the formation of embryos from FzmduZics eggs. These limits are termed the toxic concentrations and it is found that in the presence of a given quantity of a bivalent cation the toxic concentrations for thei. 44 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERY. various salts are altered in varying proportions.Further the toxicity of the bivalent magnesium ion is antagonised just as easily by a univalent as by a bivalent anion. The valency of the anion does not appear to have any determining influence on the power of a salt to antagonise the toxicity of the magnesium cation. Moreover the univalent anion in potassium chloride reduces the toxicity of the bivalent cation in magnesium chloride much more than does the multivalent anion in sodium citrate. From these and similar considerations the author draws the conclusion that the antagonistic action of Salk is not due to oppositely charged ions but that the mixture of sodium chloride potassium chloride and calcium chloride in the right proportion and concentration has a specific membrane-forming or membrane- preserving effect on all cells and that solutions different from this mixture have a destructive effect which is the greater the higher the concentration and the more the composition of the solution deviates from that of the optimum solution.13. W. B. Pharmacological Study of the Aminopyridines. I. 2- Aminopyridine and its Acetyl Derivative. A. PITINT (Ann. Chim. Applicata 1914 2 213-217).-The toxicity of %amino- pyridine is equal t o that of stovaine whilst 2-acetylaminopyridine is less toxic than nirvanine but more so than novococaine. The anzesthetic effects of the two compounds are described. T. H. P. Pharmacological Investigations on Certain Derivative8 of Morphine and Codeine. A. PITINI (Ann. Chim. Appliccrtn 1914 2 208-213).-Sodium morphineoxidesulphonate and potassium codeineoxidesulphonate (compare Freund and Speyer A.191 1 i 909) have no pharmacological action whilst sodium morphine- sulphonate and codeinesulphonate exert in the frog toxic effects similar to but less marked than those of the alkaloids themselves. T. H. P. Fixation of Arsenic by the Brain after Intravenous Injec- tions of Salvarsan. JAMES MCINTOSH and PAUL FILDES (I'roc. Boy. Soc 1914 [ B ] 88 320-326).-The authors find by experiments in uitro that brain tissue fixes neosalvarsan as readily as does liver tissue. Moreover injection of neosalvarsan into the cerebro- spinal fluid of rabbits rapidly produces paralysis or death. The conclusion drawn is that the absence of arsenic in the brain after int'ravenous injections of salvarsan and neosalvarsan in man and in animals is due not to a lack of affinity between brain tissue and the drugs but to an inability on the part of the drugs to penetrate into the substance of the brain.It was further observed that penetration of neosalvarsan into the brain cannot be obtained by frequently repeated intravenous injections. An explanation is thus given of the lack of success which often attends the treatment of syphilitic lesions of the brain by the administration of salvarsbn. a. w. B,PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. i. 45 Effdctive Principle in Thyroid accelerating Involution in Frog Larvze. MAX MORSE (J. Biol. Chent. 1914 19 421-429)- The author finds that the rapid metamorphosis of tadpoles first observed by Gudernatsch (Arch. Entwicklungsm. 1912 35 457) on feeding with thyroid gland can also be accomplished by feeding with iodothyrin iodised blood-albumin or 3 5-di-iodotyrosine.Inorganic iodides starch iodate,” and iodine-containing a l p are ineffective. The metamorphosis takes place in three days instead of requiring the normal fortnight. The suggwtion is made that the observed positive results are dependent on a rise in the opsonic index associated with increased phagocytosis such as is known t o occur in other organisms after feeding with thyroid extract. Effect of the Intramuscular Injection of Pituitary Extract on the Secretion of Milk in the Human Subject. REUBEN L. HILL and SUTHERLAWD SIMPSON (Amer. J. Physiol. 1914 35 361-366).-The injection of pituitrin equivalent to 20 mg. of the dried infundibular portion of the gland into a female subject in lactation was followed in t’en minutes by a marked increase in the amount of milk secreted. The milk withdrawn after the injec- tion was rich in fat the average figure for three experiments being 5.5% as compared with 3.4% f o r three days when no pituitrin was administered. I n the milk yielded twenty-four hours after injection the fat content was still somewhat above t h s normal. Although no quantitative estimations were made it would appear that the quantity of milk secreted naturally on the morning after the injection wils less than normal. H. W. B. H. W. B. The Effect of Pituitary Extract on Milk Secretion in the Goat. REUBEN L. HILL and SUTHERLAND SIMPSON (Quart. J. expt. Physiot. 1 If 14 8 103-1 12).-Siibcutaneous or intravenous injection of ox-pituitary extract into the goat produces a marked increase of milk secretion when the milking is performed fifteen minutes after the injection; the next milking several hours later shows a corresponding decrease. I n the first milking the milk fat (but not the other solids) is increased but no sudden fall in the fat was observed (as stated by Hammond) at the second milking. W. D. 13’. Bleached Flour. FRANK L. HALEY (Iliochem. Bull. 1914 3 440443).-Experiments on guinea-pigs lead the author t o the conclusion that although nitrite is present i t is not enough in quantity t o cause the formation of rnethzmoglobin and that bleached flour is not detrimental t o health. W. D. H.