H . B. D a y (B rit. J . E x p . P a th ., 1930, 11, 164—173).
— M ethods of e x tra c tio n arc described ; h e a t is usually desirable, b u t ex tra c tio n a t 100° is d estru ctiv e. The antigenic specific substance co n tain s tw o groups : (1) a sta b le p o rtio n w hich re acts w ith im m une serum , (2) a n u n sta b le antigenic p o rtio n w hich provokes th e form ation of an tib o d y . T he antigenic group resem bles a n enzym e in some properties. I t is possible to o b ta in a n antigenic type-specific su b stan ce a p a r t from o rd in ary bacterial protein.
Ch e m ic a l Ab s t r a c t s. I n c r e a s e of to x ic p r o p e r t i e s of b a c illi a n d of t h e i r t o x i n s t h r o u g h w e a k f e r m e n t a t i o n . A.
Ko m is (Z entr. B a k t. P a r., 1930, 115, 454— 457 ; Chem. Z en tr., 1930, ii, 77).— T he to x ic ity of various bacilli is increased b y w eak ferm en tatio n w ith y e a st a t 37°. S tro n g a n d re sista n t form s of bacilli can be o b tain ed by th is m eans. L. S. Th e o b a l d.
T o x in o f th e g a s - g a n g r e n e b a c illu s . I I . A.
Eb e l (Biochem. Z., 1930, 229, 265— 268; A., 1930, 1623).— F ro m solutions ob tain ed from cu ltu res b y rep eated p recip itatio n w ith alcohol, electrodialysis, a n d p recip itatio n w ith lead a c e ta te, th e to x in of th e gas-gangrene bacillus can be purified a n d co n cen tra ted in eth ereal alcohol solution. W . McCa r t n e y.
R e la tio n s h ip b e tw e e n d i p h t h e r i a t o x i n a n d b lo o d - s u g a r . T . U s u i (Sei-i-kwai Med. -J., 1930, 49, No. 4, 38— 50).— O nly in serious cases were m ark ed ly high values of blood-sugar observed.
H yperglycæ m ia in guinea-pigs a n d ra b b its is observed only w hen th e to x in or organism is in jected subcu- taneously. I t is considered th a t d ip h th e ria a n tito x in dim inishes th e hyperglycæ m ia to some ex te n t.
Ch e m ic a l Ab s t r a c t s. D i p h t h e r i a t o x i n - a n t i t o x i n p r e c i p i t a t e . F.
Mo d e r n a n d R . We r n ic k e (Anal. Asoc. Quim.
A rgentina, 1930, 18, 47— 56).— D ip h th eria toxin- a n tito x in p re c ip ita te requires a m inim um a c id ity of p,t 3-6 for com plete solution. W hen k e p t in acid solution th e a n tito x in is lib erated a n d th e to x in is d estro y ed (cf. R am on, A., 1924, i, 463, 1149; 1925, i, 339). T he recovery of a n tito x in is m axim al a t p n 3-2— 3-6 an d 10— 15°, a n d increases w ith tim e up to several weeks. T h e yield increases w ith increasing d ilu tio n , an d th e ra tio of u n its of a c tiv ity to p ro tein m a y be raised to 18 tim es t h a t of th e original serum .
R . K . Callow'.
P u r i f i c a t i o n of a n t i - d i p h t h e r i a s e r u m b y a d s o r p t i o n w i t h a l u m i n i u m h y d r o x id e . R . We r
n ic k ea n d F . Mo d e r n (Anal. Asoc. Quim. A rgentina, 1930, 18, 98— 111).— D ry, pow dered alum inium hydroxide has little o r no a d so rp tiv e pow er for th e p ro tein s o r a n tito x in s. W hen alum inium hydroxide is p re c ip ita te d in th e serum , however, m arked a d so rp tion occurs, p a rtic u la rly a t th e n eu tra l po in t. In acid or alkaline solution slig h t p referen tial adsorption of in activ e p ro tein s is observed. B y élu triatio n of th e p re c ip ita te a t p H > 8 -4 th e proteins an d a n tito x in s are recovered q u a n tita tiv e ly . N o useful co n cen tra
tio n of th e a n tito x in s is a tta in e d b y these m ethods.
R . K . Ca l l o w. E f f e c t of c e r t a i n o x id a t i o n - r e d u c t i o n p o t e n t i a l i n d i c a t o r s o n d i p h t h e r i a to x in . P. J . .Mo l o n e y
an d E . M. Ta y l o r (Trans. R oy. Soc. C anada, 1930, [iii], 24, V, 127— 132).— C ertain o x id atio n -red u ctio n
in d icato rs, especially those w hich are easily reduced, e.g., chloroindophenol andphcnolindophenol, accelerate th e detoxification of d ip h th e ria to x in a t 36— 39°. T he indicators are m ore active in th e oxidised th a n in th e reduced form an d th e actio n increases w ith increased co n cen tratio n of in d icato r a n d w ith increase of p n betw een 6'5 an d 7-5. T he detoxified m aterial re tain s its antigenic power. W . 0 . Ke r m a c k.
A c tio n of f o r m a ld e h y d e o n t h e a g g r e s s iv e s u b s t a n c e of b la c k le g f i l t r a t e , b a c t e r i n , a n d a g g r e s s i n . J . P . Scott (J. In fect. D is., 1930, 46, 460— 468).— F o rm ald eh y d e (0-5%) increases th e anti- serum n eutralising p o ten cy of C. chauvei bacterins a n d filtrates. I t inhibits th e agglutininogen, b u t increases th e a c tiv ity of th e p ro te ctiv e antigenic com plex. Ch e m ic a l Ab s t r a c t s.
M e c h a n is m of b a c t e r i a l a c tio n . J . H . Qu a s t e l
(T rans. F a ra d a y Soc., 1930, 26, 853— 861).— A su m m ary of th e a u th o r’s th eo ry of th e a c tiv ity an d specificity of cellular enzym es (cf., A.. 1927, 1113;
1928,797). W . 0 . Ke r m a c k,
T h e o r i e s of t h e b a c te r io p h a g e . J . Bo r d e t
(Proc. R oy. Soc., 1931, B , 107, 398—417).— A review of th e w ork of th e a u th o r on bacteriophage, th e view being expressed t h a t th e activ e principle is p ro b ab ly n o t a v iru s b u t possesses th e ch aracters of a n enzym e capable of au to ly sin g th e b acteria, and itself being reproduced d u rin g th e process of autolysis.
W. 0 . Ke r m a c k. B a la n c e d s a l t a c tio n a s m a n i f e s t e d i n b a c t e r i o p h a g e p h e n o m e n a . F . M. Bu r n e t a n d M.
McKie
(A ustral. J . E x p . Biol., 1930, 7, 183— 198).— In presence of a n excess of sodium , potassium , or am m o n ium ions, bacteriophage ex h ib its an increased su scep tib ility to th e adverse effects of high tem p eratu re, b u t th is m a y be p a rtly or w holly c o u n teracted b y a sufficient co n cen tratio n of calcium , barium , or m agnesium ions. B acteriophage is in activ ated b y c e rtain dyes, b u t in presence of calcium salts in a ctiv atio n does n o t occur. I n th e case of one phage, th e ra te of m ig ratio n tow ards th e anode in presence of calcium ions is g re ate r th a n in presence of sodium ions, a re su lt p ro b a b ly due to a shrinkage in th e size of th e p articles in presence of th e bivalent ions. I n th e case of o th er phages sim ilar changes in ca tap h o retic velocity w ere n o t d etec ted , possibly because of insufficiently acc u rate experim ental
m ethods. W . O. Ke r m a c k.
E l e c t r i c a l b e h a v i o u r of b a c te r io p h a g e s . F . M.
Burnet and M. McKie (Austral. J . Exp. Biol., 1930, 7, 199—209).—Various bacteriophages normally possess a negative charge as shown by experim ents on their cataphoretic migration. W. 0 . K e r m a c k .
I m m u n i s a t i o n w i t h a l u m i n i u m h y d r o x id e m i x t u r e s of p o lio m y e litis v i r u s . C. P . Rh o a d s
(Science, 1930, 72, 608).— T he virus of poliom yelitis w hen adsorbed on alum inium hydroxide is incapable of producing th e disease, b u t can induce activ e im m u n ity in m onkeys. In a c tiv a tio n of th e virus is p ro m o ted by p n 5-5 a n d p rev en ted by p n 8-8.
L . S. Th e o b a l d. I n f lu e n c e of s u b s t i t u t i o n o n th e c o llo id - c h e m ic a l a c tio n of d e r iv a tiv e s of a c e tic a c id a n d
p h e n o l, a n d r e l a t i o n s h i p to d is in f e c tiv e p r o p e r t i e s . R . La b e s a n d E . Ja n s e n (Arch. exp.
P a th . P h a rm ., 1930, 158, 1— 28).— B y observing th e sh ift to th e acid region of th e optim um p H fo r floccul
a tio n of d e n a tu re d serum -album in caused b y su b s titu te d acetic acids (cf. M ichaelis an d R o n a, A., 1919, i, 358), th e influence of th e su b stitu e n ts in increasing th e affinity of th e anions for p ro tein has been arranged in th e following series : P h > I > B r > C l > N 0 2> M e >
O H. I n th e phenols th is colloid-chem ical actio n runs parallel w ith disinfective a c tiv ity . A. Co h e n.
E f f e c t of s u b s t i t u t e d b e n z o ic a c id s a n d a r o m a t i c s u lp h o n ic a c id s o n th e f lo c c u la tio n o p t i m u m of d e n a t u r e d s e r u m - a l b u m i n . R . La b e s an d T. Sc h u s t e r (A rch. exp. P a th . P h a rm ., 1930, 158, 29— 41).— T he g re a te r significance of o rie n t
atio n of s u b stitu e n ts in d eterm in in g th e colloid- chem ical actio n of th e benzoic acids as com pared w ith th e phenols is a ttrib u te d to th e p o la r c h a ra c ter of th e form er. B o th th e an tisep tic a c tiv ity an d th e influence on serum -album in of iodobenzoic acids increase w ith th e n u m b er of s u b s titu e n t iodine atom s, an d th e colloid-chem ical action of sulphonic acids increases w ith th e n u m b e r of aro m atic nuclei. A. Co h e n.
B a c t e r i o s t a t i c a c tio n of c e r t a i n c o m p o n e n ts of c o m m e r c i a l p e p to n e s a s a f f e c te d b y c o n d itio n s of o x id a tio n a n d r e d u c tio n . R . Du b o s (J . E x p . M ed., 1930, 52, 331-—345).— T he su b stan ces are b a c te rio static only in th e oxidised f o r m ; th e ir effect is overcom e b y th e a d d itio n of red u ced th io l com pounds to the m edia. Com m ercial pep to n es differ g re a tly in th e ir c o n te n t of b a cterio static su b stan ce, which m ay be rem oved b y p re c ip ita tio n w ith acid arid acetone. Ch e m ic a l Ab s t r a c t s.
S u s c e p tib ility of v a r i o u s b a c t e r i a to h y d r o g e n s u lp h id e . R . Do u r i s arid J . Be c k (Ann. In st.
P a ste u r, 1931, 4 6 , 73— 77).— T he bactericid al action of hydrogen sulphide is g re a te r on cocci th a n on bacilli a n d is m ost m ark ed on G ram -positive ty p es. Motile b acteria are usually m ore re sista n t th a n non-m otile.
W . 0 . Ke r m a c k. B a c t e r i c i d a l a c tio n of th io c y a n a te s . I. H y d r o - th io c y a n ic a c id a n d s o d i u m t h i o c y a n a t e i n n e u t r a l o r a c id s o lu tio n . G. Lo c k e m a n n an d W . Ul r ic h
(Z. H y g ., 1930, 1 1 1 , 387— 419; Chem. Z en tr., 1930, ii, 1880— 1881).— T he disinfective actio n of sodium th io c y a n a te is m uch g re a te r th a n t h a t of th e sodium h a lid e s ; th e a c tiv ity is g re a tly increased w ith increase in hydrogen-ion co n cen tratio n . F ree hydrothio- cyanic acid is a m ore efficient b actericide th a n tr i
chloroacetic acid. A. A. El d r i d g e. O lig o d y n a m ic d ilu tio n s . J . Me y e r (Chem.- Z tg., 1931, 55, 85— 86).— I t has been claim ed th a t d ilu tio n s of lead a n d silver n itra te dow n to 1 p a r t in 1029 p a r ts of w a te r h av e a n appreciable effect on organism s. This a p p ears im possible, as i t would req u ire a v ery large co n tain er to secure th e presence of one s a lt molecule a t such dilu tio n . A t even ra th e r less dilu tio n th e in te ra c tio n betw een th e sa lt and th e glass would be a p re p o n d e ra tin g one. I t appears likely t h a t th e tr u e lim it of a n y real effect is 1 p a r t in
1010 in 1012. * C. Ir w i n.
B IO C H E M IS T R Y . 3 9 7
R e a c tio n of b l o o d - p r e s s u r e to a d r e n a lin e in p a r a th y r o id e c to m i s e d a n i m a l s . R . S . Ab r a m s o n
and E. N . Sp e r a n s k a- St e r a n o v a (A rkh. Biol.
Xauk, 1929, 2 9 , 481— 491).— I n dogs an d c a ts in which th e blood-calcium w as low ered by m eans of injection of o x alate, w ith or w ith o u t p a ra th y ro id ectom y ,[the adren alin e effect was p ronounced re g a rd less of th e calcium level. Ch e m i c a l Ab s t r a c t s.
B io lo g ic a l d e te c tio n of a d r e n a l i n e in d r u g s , e sp e c ia lly in p r e s e n c e of lo c a l a n a e s th e tic s . A.
St a s i a k a n d L. Ri g6 (M agyar Gyo. T aro . E r t., 1930, 6, 389— 394; Chem. Z en tr., 1930, ii, 2552).—A d ren al
ine in h ib its th e sp o n tan eo u s co n tra ctio n s of th e surviving m ouse-uterus, w hence i t can be d e te c te d in presence of local anaesthetics a n d po sterio r p itu ita ry extract. T he se n sitiv ity of th e u te ru s to w ard s adrenaline is increased b y novocaine an d dim inished by ¡3-eucaine an d stovaine. A. A. El d u i d g e.
In flu e n c e of a d r e n a l i n e a n d i n s u l i n o n th e e x c re tio n of s u g a r f r o m th e l i v e r t h r o u g h th e bile d u r i n g c o n tin u e d in g e s t i o n of s u c r o s e . N. M. Iv a n o v (Z. ges. exp. M ed., 1930, 7 1 , 263— 273;
Chem. Z entr., 1930, ii, 2540).—A d d itio n of sucrose (200 g.) to th e o rd in ary d ie t does n o t m ark ed ly increase the bile-sugar of th e dog unless ad ren alin e is a d m in istered sim ultaneously b y su b cu ta n eo u s injection.
After in jectio n of in su lin th e bile-sugar falls in sp ite of ingestion of su c ro se ; insulin causes a n increase which ap p ears only w hen large doses (400 g.) of sugar are adm inistered for a long tim e.
A. A. El d r i d g e. E v a lu a tio n of in s u lin . A. St a s i a k an d B.
Zb o r a y (M agyar Gyo. T aro . E rt., 1930, 6, 268—274;
Chem. Z en tr., 1930, ii, 1897— 1898).— M arks’ cross test has been sim plified. E a c h anim al (2 ^ 0 -3 kg.) receives 1 in te rn a tio n a l u n it ad m in istered in th e sam e way; th ree sam ples of blood are d raw n a fte r 1-5, 3, and 5 hrs., respectively. T h e original an d simplified methods are liable to a n average erro r of 10% . Of 16 commercial p re p aratio n s 14 gave values w ith in 10% of those declared. A. A. El d r i d g e.
In su lin . S. Niit s u (Sci-i-kwai Med. J ., 1930, 49, No. 2, 1— 20).— S u b cutaneous in jectio n of insulin in large am ount causes a ra p id decrease in blood-sugar, the minimum value being reached in 3 hrs. Inorganic phosphorus follows a p p ro x im a tely th e sam e course, but becomes norm al a t th e seventh hour. S u b a ra c h noid injection causes m ore g rad u al changes. P itu itrin introduced hypoderm ically produces hypergtyctem ia, but a decrease in organic phosphorus ; subarachnoid injection of p itu itr in causes m ore m arked changes.
Ch e m i c a l Ab s t r a c t s. E ffe c t of in s u lin . V. M. Og a w a (Folia P h a rm acol. Ja p o n ., 1929, 9. No. 3, 137— 149).— In su lin is destroyed in th e r a b b it’s in testin e, b u t a certain am ount is resorbed in th e in te stin a l m ucosa. In su lin is destroyed m ore read ily in th e duodenum and jejunum on account of th e alk a lin ity and th e presence of proteolytic enzym es. Ch e m i c a l Ab s t r a c t s.
E ffe c t of in s u lin , s y n th a lin , a n d g l u k h o r m e n t on c e llu la r f ix a tio n of d e x tr o s e . E . B. Sa l£nan d T. N y r S n (A cta Med. S c an d .,1 9 2 8 ,6 9 , 69— 98 ; Chem.
Z en tr., 1930, ii, 2201).— T he increase in fixation of d extrose was, respectively, 180,149, an d 140% .
A. A . El d r i d g e. A c tio n of p r o te o ly tic e n z y m e s o n c r y s t a l l i n e in s u lin . A. F . Ch a r l e s an d D . A. Sc o t t (T rans.
R oy. Soc. C anada, 1930, [iii], 2 4 , V, 95— 99).— W hen cry stallin e in su lin is acted on b y pepsin or try p s in its physiological a c tiv ity disappears m uch m ore rap id ly th a n does th e p ro tein p re se n t as in d ic a te d by p re c ip ita tio n w ith 3-3% trichloroacetic acid. I t does n o t ap p e a r possible by m eans of these enzym es to h y d ro lyse in su lin in to a physiologically activ e p ro te in of sm aller m olecular w eight. W. 0 . K e r m a c k.
S p e c tr o s c o p ic p r o p e r t i e s of in s u lin . H . d e s
B. S m s a n d D. A. S c o t t (T rans. R oy. Soc. C anada, 1930, [iii], 24, V, 117— 119).— A m orphous an d cry stallin e insulin of activ ities 13 a n d 25 u n its p er m g., respectively, placed in th e copper arc gave no evidence of inorganic m aterial. T he u ltra-v io let ab so rp tio n sp ectru m of crystalline insulin dissolved in 0-001 Ar-hydrochIoric acid show ed ab so rp tio n bands c e n tred a t 2855 a n d 2740
A.,
an d a n o th e r beyond 2340A.
S atisfacto ry A -ra y sp ectra w ere n o t o b tain ed from insulin crystals. W . 0 . K e r m a c k .D e te c tio n of a n i n s u l a r h o r m o n e i n th e d u o d e n u m . N . B. La u g h t o n a n d A. B. Ma c a l l u m
(C anad. Med. Assoc. J ., 1930, 23, 348).— E x tra c ts of duodenal m ucosa, w h en in jected in to norm al ra b b its o r dogs p rio r to a d m in istra tio n of d extrose, dim inish th e hyperglycacm ia; th e y do n o t contain insulin, since th e y do n o t affect th e hyperglycscm ia of depan creat- ised dogs. T he e x tra c ts do n o t give p ro te in or p ep to n e reactions, an d th e a c tiv e principle is n o t adsorbed on bone charcoal or fu ller’s e a r t h ; th e y ap p e a r to con
ta in a su b stan ce w hich stim u la te s th e islets of Langer- hans. T he m echanism of in su lar failure is discussed.
Ch e m i c a l Ab s t r a c t s. C i r c u l a t o r y h o r m o n e . V. A n i n t e r n a l s e c r e t o r y f u n c tio n of th e p a n c r e a s . E . K . Fr e y, H.
Kr a u t, a n d F . Sc h u l t z (Arch. exp. P a th . P h a rm ., 1930, 158, 334— 347; cf. A., 1930, 1624).— T he circu lato ry horm one (callicrein), id en tical w ith th a t from urine, is found in considerable q u a n tity in norm al p ancreas an d in fluid from p an c re a tic cysts. The horm one c o n te n t of th e u rin e of th e dog is dim inished in a few h o u rs to 15% of its original v alue b y e x tir p atio n of th e p ancreas, b u t is m ain ta in e d if ex tirp a tio n is n o t q u ite com plete. A lthough callicrein is chem ic
ally different from insulin, som e fu n ctio n al sim ilarity betw een th em is observed. S plenectom y causes a te m p o ra ry an d n o n -ch aracteristic loss of th e horm one from th e urine, b u t e x tirp a tio n of o th e r glands has
little effect. A. Co h e n.
A c tio n of p i t u i t r i n , p i t r e s s i n , a n d p ito c in on th e b l o o d - p h o s p h a tid e s . W . Ra a b (Endocrinol., 1930, 1 4 , 150— 156).—-The effects of pitressin an d pitocin are irreg u lar b u t in general are sim ilar to th a t of p itu itrin in depressing th e blood-phosphatides.
In je c tio n of egg-yolk did n o t produce lecithinsemia.
Ch e m i c a l Ab s t r a c t s. P h y s io lo g ic a l p r o p e r t i e s of t h e g r o w t h - p r o m o tin g ' e x t r a c t s of th e a n t e r i o r p i t u i t a r y lo b e . H . M. Te e l an d H . Cu s h i n g (E ndocrinol., 1930, 1 4 , 157— 163).— In jectio n in to dogs causes a fall in th e
urea-, am ino-acid-, a n d “ u n d eterm in ed ” n itrogen, a p p ro x im a tely in p ro p o rtio n to th e respective con
c en tra tio n . R e te n tio n of nitro g en an d phosphorus, an d increased u rin a ry excretion of calcium , were observed. Ch e m i c a l Ab s t r a c t s.
O v a r y - s t i m u l a t i n g l i o r m o n e of th e p la c e n ta . J . B . Colldp (C anad. Med. Assoc. J ., 1930, 2 2 , 7 6 1 — 764).— M ethods for ob tain in g co n c en tra ted p lacen tal e x tra c ts are described. T h e yield of p ro d u c t is a b o u t 1 mg. p er kg. I t s p o ten c y is unaffected b y boiling for o m in. w ith d ilu te acetic acid o r b y tre a tm e n t w ith pepsin or try p sin . I n ad d itio n to “ em m en in ,”
th e activ e fractio n contains an o th e r horm one or horm ones, a p p a r e n t^ of p rotein-like n a tu re .
Ch e m i c a l Ab s t r a c t s. I s o l a t i o n of t h e m a l e s e x u a l h o r m o n e i n a w a t e r - s o l u b l e c r y s t a l l i n e s t a t e . B. Fr a t t in i
and M. Ma in o (Arch. 1st. Biochim . Ita l., 19 3 0 , 2 , 639— 668).— T estes are e x tra c te d w ith boiling 1%
acetic acid a n d th e filtra te is tre a te d w ith m agnesium su lp h ate. T he p re c ip ita te is e x tra c te d w ith 95%
alcohol an d th e oil o b tain ed b y e v ap o ra tio n is em u l
sified in boiling -water (■/;„ 5) an d th e m ix tu re filtered.
T he tu rb id filtra te is tre a te d w ith 4 % of sodium hydroxide an d filtered. T he solution, w hich con
ta in s th e horm one as a sodium sa lt, is tre a te d w ith 1% of copper su lp h ate a n d th e re s u lta n t p recip itate, suspended in w ater, is decom posed w ith h ydrogen sulphide. T he eth ereal e x tra c t of th e solution w hen e v a p o ra te d deposits th e horm one in fe a th e ry aggre
g ates of needles, soluble in organic solvents an d in w ater co ntaining a little alkali. T he substance co n ta in s no nitrogen.
T he cry stallin e su b stan ce p rom otes th e g ro w th of th e com b a n d w a ttle s of capons, a n d causes develop
m en t of th e sem inal vesicles in im m atu re o r c a s tra te d ra ts. I t also causes oestrus in ovariectom ised ra ts an d d evelopm ent of th e u te ru s in im m atu re ra ts.
P arallel te s ts of th e cry stallin e follicular horm one (A., 1930, 505) show t h a t th is p rom otes developm ent of th e gen ita l tr a c t in th e m ale. T he tw o horm ones th u s h av e in com m on th e pow er of influencing th e genital tr a c t of b o th sexes, b u t differ in th e ir effect on secondary sexual ch aracteristics, for th e pro m o tio n of com b-grow th is specific to th e m ale horm one. The oestrogenic actio n of th e testes and u rine of m ales is duo to th e m ale horm one, a n d th e presence of the fem ale horm one need n o t be assum ed.
R . K . Ca l l o w. A n d r o k in in (m a le s e x u a l h o r m o n e ) i n m a le b lo o d . S. Lo e w e, F . Ro t h s c h i l d, W . Ra u t e n- b u s c h, an d H . E . V oss (K lin. W oeli., 1930, 9, 1407;
Chem. Z en tr., 1930, ii, 1S6S).— B u ll’s blood co n tain s 1— 2 m ouse-units of an d ro k in in p e r l i t r e ; w ith im proved m ethods higher values would p ro b ab ly be
o b tain ed . A. A. El d r i d g e.
D ia z o - r e a c tio n of th y r o x in e a n d i t s in h i b i t i o n b y b lo o d - c o n s titu e n ts . W . Ko m a n t (Arch. exp.
P a th . P h a rm ., 1 9 3 0 ,1 5 8 , 116— 128).— T hy ro x in e (and its m e th y l o r eth y l ester), w hen tre a te d w ith diazotised sulphanilic acid a t p n 9— 10, gives a d a rk red colour which behaves as a n in d ic a to r to w ard s acid an d alk ali. A rose colour is developed a t a d ilu tio n of I in 105. T he reactio n is n o t given b y th e brom ine
analogue of th y ro x in e, n o r b y 3 : 5-dichloro- and 3 : 5-dibrom o-tyrosine ; 3 : 5-di-iodotyrosine gives a slig h t positive reaction. T he reactio n is in h ib ited by serum -protein, uric acid, an d , to a sm aller e x te n t, by som e am ino-acids. U rine d estro y s th e colour a fte r it has ap p e a re d . A d d itiv e com pound fo rm atio n betw een in h ib ito r a n d th y ro x in e is suggested as th e cause of inhibition. Sim ultaneous in trav en o u s injection of th y ro x in e an d serum or glycine in to ra b b its does not influence th e increased oxygen consum ption observed w ith th y ro x in e alone.
T hyroxine gives green an d blue colour reactions w ith m ethylene-blue a n d m ethyl-violet, respectively.
A. Co h e n. A c tio n of th y r o x in e . E . Ab d e r i i a l d k n a n d E . We r t h e i m e r (Z. ges. exp. M ed., 1930, 72, 472— 489;
Chem. Z en tr., 1930, ii, 1567).— P ro tra c te d adm inis
tra tio n of th y ro x in e to ra b b its, guinea-pigs, o r rats leads to a d im in u tio n alm ost to zero of th e heart m uscle-glycogen, large q u a n titie s rem aining in the liver a n d skeletal m uscle. Differences hav e been observed betw een r a ts a n d guinea-pigs in th e effect on th e storage of glycogen of sim ultaneous adm inis
tra tio n of d extrose. A. A. El d r i d g e. E f f e c t of s u b s t i t u t i o n i n t h e th y r o x in e m o le c u le o n i t s a c tio n . E . Ab d e r i i a l d b n an d E . We r t h e i m e r (Z. ges. exp. M ed., 1928, 63, 557— 577 ; Chem. Z en tr., 1930, ii, 1716).— D eiodothyroxine does n o t affect th e m etam orphosis of tad p o le s o r axolotls.
O th e r sub stan ces re la te d to th y ro x in e were active, b u t th e necessary dose w as higher th a n for thyroxine.
Iodophenols h av e no action. T hyreoglobulin, iodo- album in, an d serum -iodoalbum in were activ e for axolotls, d oubtless owing to th e ir c o n te n t of 3 : 5-di-
iodotyrosine. A. A. El d r i d g e.
H o r m o n e of h e a r t m o tio n . X V II. G a s tr o i n t e s t i n a l m u s c u l a t u r e of c o ld - a n d w a r m b lo o d e d a n i m a l s . L. Ha b e r l a n d t (Pflüger’s A rchiv, 1930, 2 2 5 , 384— 388; Chem. Z e n tr., 1930, ii, 2147— 214S).— T h e h e a rt horm one (1 in 50— 1000) p ro m o tes m ovem ent of th e fro g ’s sto m ach or of the in testin e of w arm -blooded anim als, a n d hence differs from ad re n a lin e ; th e effect is also observed after tre a tm e n t w ith atro p in e. A. A. El d r i d g e.
V i t a m i n s of m i l k a n d t h e i r b e h a v io u r to w a r d s c h e m ic a l, p h y s ic a l, a n d t h e r m a l a t t a c k . W.
We it z e l (Z. Fleisch- M ilchhyg., 1930, 4 0 , 3 8 9 — 393;
Chem. Z en tr., 1930, ii, 1 7 9 1 ).— T he v itam in -A , -B, an d -C c o n te n t of m ilk is increased w hen green fodder is s u b s titu te d for d ry fodder. V itam in-C is most sensitive to chem ical, physical, a n d th e rm a l con
Chem. Z en tr., 1930, ii, 1 7 9 1 ).— T he v itam in -A , -B, an d -C c o n te n t of m ilk is increased w hen green fodder is s u b s titu te d for d ry fodder. V itam in-C is most sensitive to chem ical, physical, a n d th e rm a l con