PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. Physiological Chemistry. i. 99 Relation between Temperature and Oxygen Consumption in the Animal Organism. ARISTIDES KANITZ (Intern. Zeitsch. phys. - chem. Bzol. 1915 2 273-278. Compare Krogh A. 1915 i Polemical. The author shows that Krogh's results are in harmony with Arrhenius's law. Pharmacology of the Respiratory Centre. 11. ARTHUR R. CUSHNY and CHARLES C. LIEB (J. Pharm. expt. Ther. 1915 6 451-471).-Morphine slows respiration with little o r no effect on its depth; urethane induces no change except that azising from general narcosis. Under morphine carbon dioxide inhalation produces the usual results,both rate and depth of breathing being increased ; under urethane there is acceleration but this dimin- ishes as the dose of urethane increases. Lack of oxygen produces the same effects.The carbon dioxide concentration in the blood increases under urethane and to a less degree under morphine but this cannot be the cause of the reversed action of carbon dioxide under urethane. After rapid inflation of the lungs the apnoeic pause is lengthened under morphine but only slightly under urethane. Morphine affects the intrinsic rhythm of the respiratory centre but the cent're is less depressed by urethane. I n both case8 the reaction t o reflexes remains normal. I n death from morphine the rhythm of the centre is abolished whilst in urethane poisoning the centre responds by slowing and finally by arrest owing tom the accumulation of carbon dioxide. Both drugs mainly act on the rhythm of the centre but the depth of the breathing depends on the concentration of the carbon dioxide in the blood. W.D. H. Combustion in the Lungs and the Estimation of the Blood Qases. V. HENRIQUES (Biochem. Zeitsch. 1915 71 481-491).- To get concordant results in blood analyses i t is necessary that H. W. B. e 9i. 100 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS. the blood (oxalated or defibrillated) should be kept well agitated as i t is withdrawn so that the corpuscles do not settle. Analyses made on blood withdrawn in this manner are more satisfactory than on blood withdrawn slowly from animals with hirudin injec- tions as in this case there is a tendency of the corpuscles t o sink in the connecting tubes and the samples obtained are1 not there- fore ui;iform. Blood withdrawn simultaneously from the right side of the heart and from the pulmonary artery contains the same amount of carbon dioxide and oxygen.The blood in the right side of tlie heartl corresponds in composition theref ore with that perfusing the lungs. Experiments were carried out in which the carbon dioxide excretion and oxygen consumption by the lungs were estimated a t the same time as the gas-content of tlie blood passing to and the blood passing from the lungs. Before and after the experiment the rate of flow of the blood through the lungs was also estimated. The results do not support the conception of Bohr and Henriques of a special combust,ibL process in die lungs. S. B. S. The Influence of Osmotic Pressure on the Volume of Red Blood-corpuscles and the Problem of Permeability. H. J.HAMBURGER (Bzochenz. Zeztsch. 1915 7 1 464-467).-The author claims that he was the first t o call attention t o tlie relationship between osmotic pressure and cell volume and also that he was a pioneer in the investigations on the permeability of cells. These facts are not recognised in some of thel most recent text-books. S. B. S. Biology of Phagocgtes. Influence of Hydrogen Peroxide on Phagocytosis. H. J. HAMBURGER (Intern Zeitsch. phys.-chem. Bigl. 1915 2 255-265).-Hydrogen peroxide has a stimulating action on phagocytes suspended in serum o r saline solution which is made apparent by an increase in the number of phagocytes which ingest particles of starch o r of charcoal suspended in the medium. If after treatment with hydrogen peroxide the’ phagocytes are well washed with saline solution before being brought into contact with the suspended particles the enhanced pliagocytosis is still observed.A similar action is not observed with other oxidising substances such as potassium chlolrate and potassium ferricyanide. The strength of the hydrogen peroxide employed was about 1 3000 and was shown t o be incapable! of causing disintegration of the inactive phagocytic cells. The enhanced phagocytosis was theref ore abso- lute and not merely apparent. H. W. B. I. 11. and 111. E. HEKMA ( I n t e m . Zeitsch. phys.-chena. Biol. 1915 2 279-298 299 -351 352-3G9).-€1istorical survey. H. W. B. GEORGE R. MINOT (Arrzer. J. Physiol. 1915 39 131-138).-Antithrombin is rendered inactive by chloroform and ether thus allowing free thrombin if present in oxalated blood-plasma to produce a clot.Prothrombin is not converted into thrombin by chloroform neither does chloro- Fibrin and the Coagulation of the Blood. The Effect of Chloroform on Coagulation.PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. i. 101 forin weaken the action of thrombin solutions ; ether does slightly. Antithrombin could not be recovered from chloroform or ether extracts of serum or plasma. Cliloroform can precipitate both fibrinogen and protlirombin from an oxalated plasma. I n one rabbit poisoned with chloroform the antithrombin was decreased. W. D. H. Adaptation of Ferments. I. KOOPMAN (I?zto*?z. Zcitsch. p1zys.- chenz. Bzol. 1915 2 266-Stl).-The diastatic activity of the saliva in man remains the same whether the diet is restricted entirely to carbohydrates or consists largely of proteins or is a mixed one.The percentages of dry matter of ash chlorine and nitrogen also re'm aiii fairly constant. The1 enzyme is inactivated by heating a t 6 5 O more quickly on the protein than on the other diets. whilst re-activation occurs onlv when the diet< has consisted chiefly of carbohydrates (compare Griamenitzki A. 1911 i 98). H. W. B. The Acid of the Gastric Juice and Gastric Ulcer. CHARLES BOLTON (J. Path. Bact. 1915 20 133 -15Y).-Experinientsl and clinical evidence is adduced t h a t it is the acid and not the enzyme of gastric juice which produces and increases the nematic condition of gastric ulcers. The damage done is in proportion t o the strength of the acid; 0*3-0*4% is t'aken as evidence of hyperacidity W.D. H. Metabolism of Amino-acids in the Organiem. IX. Uuo Lo~ultoso (Atti R. Accnd. Lincci 1915 [v] 24 ii 401-408).- The results previously obtained are summarised and discussed (compare A . 1915 i 917). The experiments with Ringer's solution and still more those with blood show t h a t different amino-acids exhibit different behaviour and that those which are utilised most by one tissue are least utilised by another. Thus glycine is utilised well by functioning muscle but less by the liver whilst alanine is readily utilised by the kidneys and intestine but not so well by muscle. It seems therefore t h a t no particular amino-acids are generically better utilisable than others but rather t h a t each tissue1 exhibits specific selectivity with reference t o the amino-acids ; asparagine is how- ever withdrawn in larger quantity from the circulating liquid and shows a tendency t o become deaminated.The more or less marked disappearance of amino-acids observed in almost all experiments made with blood is not accompanied by the formation of such compounds as ammonia and acetone in quantities sufficient t o justify t h e conclusion t h a t such disappear- ance is due to deamination; complexes of the amino-acids are tlieref ore probably formed. The experiments with Ringer's solu- tion especially in the intestine and liver reveal the opposite tendency that is the withdrawal of amino-acids with formatioli of ammonia. Since the ability of the liver to synthesise amino-acids by couplingi. 102 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS.ammonia with the carbonyl group of ketonic compounds is known i t is evident that complex and antagonistic phenomena take place in the various tissues. T. H. P. Influence of Calcium Salts on Reproduction. RUDOLF ELMMERICH and OSKAR LOEW (Lawdw. Jahr. 1915 48 313-330; from Chem Zentr. 19 15 ii '71 '7).-Experiments with mice rabbits and guinea pigs indicated that an increase of calcium in the diet led to an increased number of litters and an increase in the number of individuals in e'ach litter accompanied by a decreased individual weight. Sodium chloride had a similar action but the increased fertility of the animals resulted in this case in a great decrease in weight (12%) of the mother. Magnesium chloride was without action and potassium chloride worked very unf avourably.G. F. M. The Effects of Aqueous Extracts of Organs on Unstriated Muscle. GEORGE G. FAWCETT JESSIE 31. RAHE GEORGE S. HACKETT and J o m ROGERS (Amer. J. Physiol. 1915 39 154-161).-The residues (that is aqueous extracts minus nucleo-proteins and coagulable proteins) of pituitary pineal thyroid parathyroid thymus and adrenal glands liver pancreas and spleen contain most if not all of the internal secretions of these organs; each produces a characteristic stimulating effect on the plain muscle of the cat's uterus which is paralysed by adrenaline. There are differences in the activity of the various extracts; each is supposed to act on some portion of the sympathetic nerveendings by a different chemical or physico-chemical action. W. D. H. The Feeding of Young Chicks on Grain Mixtures of High and Low Lysine Content.G. D. BUCKNER E. H. NOLLAN and J. H. KASTLE (Amer. J. Physiol. 1915 39 162-171).-0sborne and Mendel have shown that lysine is largely responsible for the stimu- lation of growth. The present experiments on various lots of chickens support this view. Analytical tables of the food supplied are given the main difference being in the lysine content. Other conditions of rearing were kept constant. The failure to grow on a food mixture poor in lysine is strikingly shown by tables of body-weights and by photographs. This failure is not made good by adding growth-producing fat (butter) t o the rations. W. D. H. Quantitative Observations on Antagonism. A. R. CUSHNY (J. Phnrm. expt. They. 1915 6 439-450).-The experiments were performed with atropine and pilocarpine on the salivary secretion of dogs.I n different dogs a constant amount of atropine was necessary to oppose the action of a constant amount of pilocarpine and in the same dog the ratio of the two drugs remained the same however much the actual amounts injected might vary; that is the antagonism proceeded according to the laws of mass-action and not according t o those of chemical combination. There wasPHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. i. 103 evidence that when one poison had been allowed to act f o r some time its antagonist was less effective than if it had been injected simultaneously. W. D. H. Kyrines. HANS FREUND (Phann. Ze?ztr.-h. 1915 56 663-667). -In extension of the work on blood proteins (A. 1914 i 447) the author has examined some kyrines in order to determine whether they differ in toxicity from their parent proteins.Pure globinokyrine sulphate was obtained from hzmoglobin and glutokyrine sulphate from gelatin by the usual processes which are dwcribed. These were injected intravenously and sub- cutaneously into rabbits and guinea-pigs and were found to be less toxic than the parent globin or gelatin. J. C. W. Antiphenol Serum ( MLLE.) JANINA WISZNIEWSKA (Compt. rend. 1915 161 609-612).-Dogs fed on meat preserved by artificial methods and rendered aseptic by a careful process of tyndallisation show an increase of phenols in the animal economy. In this process of putrefaction important variations are noticed due t o the quality of the ingested food. With a basal diet of albumin and protein substances phydroxyphenylacetic acid is found in the urine to the extent of 0*004-1.5 grams per litre.A dog fed on decomposed meat shows after the seventh day an average of 1.619 grams of phenol in the urine. I n the case of dogs under normal conditions carefully fed so as t o avoid intestinal putrefaction on administer- ing phydroxyphenylacetic acid in small doses it is found that the phenols are eliminated without being fixed in the tissues. An attempt was made to isolate phenols resulting from putrid intoxication and an amorphous substance was obtained which did not pass through a dialyser membrane. It gave the biuret reaction and showed the general characteristics of the leucomaines whilst yielding some reactions peculiar to phenols.It was strongly alkaline and its toxic coefficient was fixed a t 0.00012 per kilogram. It is thermostable. When fed to animals at intervals in suitable doses it produced an intense sclerosis a t the end of four or five months particularly in the renal and cephalic arteries. When injected intravenously into a horse it furnished characteristic anti- toxins which could be used therapeutically. Animals immunised by means of this serum survived a five months’ feeding with the substance mentioned above. When a 0.1% solution of the antigen is mixed with a few drops of a solu- tion of ethyl nitrite and a few drops of strong sulphuric acid an intense red coloration is produced which passes into blue on the addition of a few drops of ammonia. The red coloration can be detected a t a dilution of 1 in 2,000,000.The following test is given for the phenol antigen. W. G. Albuminuria Produced by Intravascular Injection of Oval- bumin. A. CH. HOLLANDE M. LEPEYTRE and J. GATB ( J . Pharm Chim. 1915 [vii] 12 345-350).-The physiological albuminuria following the intravascular injection of white of egg can bei. 104 ABSTRACTS OF CHEMICAL PAPERS. differentiated from pathological albuminuria by means of Maurel’s soIution which is a mixture of 25 C.C. of sodium hydroxide (33% solution) 5 C.C. of a 3% copper sulphate solution and 70 C.C. of glacial acetic acid. This solution coagulates ovalbumin whilst serum albumin and serum globulin are unaffected. Ovalbumin may also be distinguished from serum albumin by adding form- aldehyde t o the urine and then heating to the boiling point; serum albumin coaguIates whereas ovalbumin remains in solution. H. W. B. The Relationship between Toxic Doee and Body Surface. KARL KIssKAm (Biochenz. Zeitsch. 191 5 7 1 468-478).-From numerous experiments on the injection of caffeine into rats the conclusion is drawn t h a t Dreyer’s statement as to the relationship between lethal dose and body surface does not hold true. S. B. S.