teristics of vertebrate cells cultivated
in v itr o . H . B. Fe l l an d E . N . Wi l l m e r (Trans. F a ra d a y Soc., 1930, 2 6 , 772— 778).— A review^ of th e factors d eterm in in g th e uncontrolled grow th of tissues invitro. W . 0 . Ke r m a c k.
S u r f a c e s t r u c t u r e i n t h e i n t e g r a t i o n o f c e l l a c t i v i t y . I t. A. Pe t e r s (T rans. F a r a d a y Soc., 1930, 26, 797— 807).— A general th e o ry of th e s tru c tu re an d a c tiv ity in th e living cell is sketched, em phasis being laid on th e im p o rtan ce of th e m olecular con
stitu tio n a n d o rien ta tio n of interfaces.
W . 0 . K e r m a c k. M e m b r a n e - p h e n o m e n a i n l i v i n g m a t t e r : e q u i l i b r i u m o r s t e a d y s t a t e . A. V. Hi l l (T rans.
F a ra d a y Soc., 1930, 26, 667— 673).— T he osm otic pressure of th e w h ite a n d yo lk of th e h e n ’s egg has been determ in ed b y th e th erm o -v ap o u r pressure m eth o d of th e a u th o r (cf. A., 1930, 1211). The difference of osm otic pressure betw een th e w hite and th e yolk in th e one-day-old egg corresponds w ith 0-26—
0-29% sodium chloride a n d on keeping in a ir it g rad u ally declines, in agreem ent w ith th e results of S tra u b (A., 1929, 264). V ery sim ilar resu lts are o b tain ed w hen th e eggs are k e p t in a n atm osphere of hydrogen, so th a t th e energy w hich is req u ired for th e m a in ten an ce of th e difference of osm otic pressure is p resu m ab ly n o t derived from ox id atio n processes.
I t is arg u ed th a t th e co n cen tratio n differences inside a n d outside living cells a n d th e electric p o te n tia ls w hich ex ist across cell m em branes are n o t equilibrium conditions, b u t are p resu m ab ly su stain ed by chem ical reactions proceeding in th e cell or a t its m em brane.
W . O. Ke r m a c k. K i n e t i c s o f l i v i n g m a t t e r . E . Fa u rIs- Fr e m i e t
(T rans. F a ra d a y Soc., 1930, 26, 779—74)3).— A d is
cussion of th e fo rm atio n of pseudopodia an d th e m o tility of cells a n d th e re la tio n of th ese to th e physico-chem ical p ro p erties of th e protoplasm .
W . O. K e r m a c k. O x i d a t i v e n a t u r e o f t h e n e r v e i m p u l s e . F . 0 . Sc h m i t t (Science, 1930, 72, 583— 584).— Sodium cy an id e can com pletely in h ib it nerve re s p ira tio n ; in 0-001 iV-sodium cyan id e in h ib itio n is com plete for only an h o u r or so, a n d th e n falls to a residual am o u n t, w hilst in 0 -lV -so lu tio n in h ib itio n is p ractically con
s ta n t a t 80— 95% . N erve resp iratio n can also be in h ib ite d m ore or less com pletely b y carb o n m onoxide in th e d a rk , b u t illu m in atio n of th e nerve w eakens in h ib itio n of th e restin g m etabolism . A ction p o te n tia l is produced b y a n o x id atio n of a su b stan ce o r su b stan ces in nerve a n d a re sp ira to ry enzym e containing iro n ap p ears to be essential. L. S. Th e o b a l d.
C o n d i t i o n s o f m e t a b o l i s m a f f e c t i n g c h a n g e o f s e x . P . J o y f . t - L a v e r g n e (C om pt. ren d ., 1 9 3 1 ,1 9 2 , IS O— 182).—-When th e germ inal cells of th e m ale a re su b jected to a n en v iro n m en t w here th e ir fa t m etabolism is higher, th e y give rise to ova. Con
versely, w hen fem ale germ inal cells are su b jected to conditions prod u cin g a rise in general m etabolism a n d a low ering of th e reducing pow er of th e tissues, th e y give rise to sperm atozoa. P. G. M a r s h a l l .
R e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n e l e c t r i c a l d i f f e r e n c e s o f p o t e n t i a l i n t h e s k i n a n d n o r m a l b a s a l m e t a b o l i s m . C. Pu r d y, A. F . Jo h n s o n, a n d C. Sh e a r d
(Science, 1931, 73, 46— 49).— E lectrical p o te n tia l in th e skin of norm al persons has been co rrelated w ith basal m otabolism . H igher basal m etabolic ra te s are accom panied b y sm aller P .D . a n d vice versa.
L. S. Th e o b a l d.
R e la tio n of t h e c a lc iu m : p h o s p h o r u s r a t i o to c a lc if ic a tio n . R . M. Be t h k e, C. H . Ki c k, an d 0 . H . M. Wi l d e r (Ohio Agric. E x p . S ta. B ull., 1930, No. 446, 147).— E x p erim en ts w ith ra ts in d icate th a t, w ith in c e rtain lim its, th e ra tio of calcium to ph o s
phorus in th e ra tio n is of g re a te r significance in calcification th a n th e co n cen tratio n of these elem ents.
T he degree of calcification is d irectly p ro p o rtio n al to th e Ca : P ratio . W ider Ca : P ratio s are associated w ith g re a te r req u irem en ts for vitam in-D .
A. G. Po l l a r d. R e la tio n s h ip in t h e h e n b e tw e e n t h e d e v e lo p m e n t of o v a , b lo o d - c a lc iu m , a n d t h e a n t i r a c h i t i c f a c to r . W . C. R u s s e l l, C. H . Ho w a r d, an d A. F.
He s s (Science, 1930, 72, 506— 507).—T he presence of large ova an d high blood-calcium does n o t alw ays in d icate active egg p roduction. T he a n tira c h itic facto r m ay n o t be th e essential fa c to r in th e develop
m en t of ova or in causing high blood-calcium . L. S. Th e o b a l d. U t i l i s a t i o n of m i l k a n d i n o r g a n i c c a lc iu m a n d p h o s p h o r u s . M. T. Po t t e r an d M. M. K r a m e r
(J. H om e E con., 1930, 22, 923— 924).— I n periods in w hich m ilk furnished m ost of th e calcium , or in w hich chiefly inorganic calcium a n d phosphorus were adm inistered, th e calcium a n d phosphorus were retain e d equally well. Ch e m i c a l Ab s t r a c t s.
R e la tio n b e tw e e n o v a r i a n f u n c tio n a n d m i n e r a l c o n te n t of b lo o d . A. Sc h e p e t i n s k y a n d M.
Ka f i t i n (Arch. Gyniik., 1929, 136, 397— 406; Chem.
Z entr., 1930, ii, 1387).— D uring m e n stru a tio n th e blood-calcium of norm al w om en varies only betw een 11 a n d 14 m g. p e r 100 c .c .; in th e p rem en stru al period th e value is slightly high. T he blood-potass- ium , -sodium , a n d -chlorine dim inish du rin g m e n stru atio n , w hilst th e -inorganic phosphorus shows little
change. A. A. El d r i d g e.
O v a r ia n f u n c tio n a n d lip o id m e t a b o l i s m . I.
R e la tio n b e tw e e n c h o le s te r o l m e t a b o l i s m a n d o v a r ia n f u n c tio n . I I . R e la tio n b e tw e e n le c ith in m e t a b o l i s m a n d o v a r i a n f u n c tio n . I I I . D is t r i b u t i o n of b lo o d - c h o le s te r o l b e tw e e n f r e e a n d e s t e r i f i e d c h o le s te r o l i n v a r i o u s f u n c tio n a l p h a s e s of t h e g e n e r a tiv e g la n d . T o t a l b lo o d - f a tty a c id i n r e g u l a r , i r r e g u l a r , a n d a b s e n c e of, o v a r ia n f u n c tio n . C . K a u f m a n n a n d O. Mu h l b o c k (Arch.
G vniik., 1928, 134, 603— 625; 1929, 136, 478—
50 2 ; 1929, 139, 254— 277; Chem. Z entr., 1930, ii, 1386— 1387).—I. W om en’s blood-serum n orm ally con
ta in s 125 mg. of cholesterol p e r 100 c.c. During m en stru a tio n values dow n to 4 1 % of th e average are o b se rv e d ; th is fall is preceded b y a n increase which m a y reach 50% . I n d istu rb an ce of th e ovarian fu n ctio n a fall w as also o b se rv e d ; i t was independent of th e loss of blood.
I I . T he le c ith in c o n ten t is 234 mg. p e r 100 c.c., a n d is norm ally n o t su b ject to reg u lar v ariatio n d u rin g various periods of th e cycle.
I I I . T he fall in blood-cholesterol d u rin g m en stru a tio n is due to a fall in free cholesterol; 85— 90% of th e cholesterol is th e n esterified, in stead of about 70% . A n increase in b lo o d -to tal f a tty acid was observed during norm al m en stru atio n .
A. A. El d r i d g e.
B IO C H E M IS T R Y . 3 8 5
A u r i c u l o - v e n t r i c u l a r ju n c t i o n a l s y s t e m of th e h e a r t. I I . M e ta b o lic a c tiv ity . I I I . P h o s p h a tid e a n d c h o le s te r o l c o n te n t. IV . A n a e r o b ic o x id a tio n . K . Ya m a z a k i (J. B iochem ., J a p a n , 1 9 3 0 , 12, 223—2 3 4 ).—T h e ju n c tio n lias a higher d e h y d ro genase a n d oxidase a c tiv ity , b u t a lower sid p h y d ry l content, th a n th e re s t of th e h e a rt m uscle. T he T aw ara bundle of th e ox h e a rt contains less p h o s
phatide th a n th e h e a rt m uscle. I t is re sista n t to cyanide, still consum ing oxygen w hen poisoned w ith 0 -0 0 0 4 4 /-potassium cyanide.
Ch e m i c a l Ab s t r a c t s. R o le of th e s p le e n i n g e n e s is of b i l i r u b i n a n d c h o le s te r o l. I ) . An t i6 an d D . Bo r i c (Z . ges. e x p . Med., 1930, 70, 658— 665; Cliem. Z en tr., 1930, ii, 2153).— W ith ra b b its ex tirp a tio n of th e spleen caused a fall in b iliru b in an d a rise in cholesterol a n d e ry th ro cy te num ber. Sim ilar resu lts w ere o b tain ed in a case of luem olytic icteru s a fte r splenectom y.
A. A. El d r i d g e. E ffe c t of c o n s u m p tio n of v a r i o u s f o o d s o n th e a m o u n t of m u l t i p l y u n s a t u r a t e d a c id s i n th e h lo o d . N. Be r e n d (Biochem . Z., 1930, 229, 323—
32S).—T he am o u n t of m u ltip ly u n s a tu ra te d acids in the blood of dogs first decreases th e n increases if they are fed on fat. I f c arb o h y d ra te is given w ith the fa t th e in itial decrease does n o t occur. N o change takes place in th e c o n te n t of m u ltip ly u n sa tu ra te d acids as a resu lt of feeding w ith c arb o h y d ra te alone or w ith p ro te in alone. W. McCa r t n e y.
P r o t e i n [fe e d in g ] s t u d i e s . A. E . Pe r k i n s (Ohio Agric. E x p . S ta . B ull., 1930, No. 446, 115— 116).—
Comparison is m ade of th e com position of th e blood, milk, and urine of cows receiving h ig h -p ro tein a n d low-protein ratio n s. T he u re a co n ten ts of blood and urine during h igh-protein feeding averaged respectively 15 an d 300 tim e s those du rin g low -protein feeding. L ittle difference w as a p p a re n t in ro u tin e tests of m ilk in th e tw o cases, b u t a closer e x am in ation of th e n o n -protein-nitrogen show ed a close agreement betw een th e pro p o rtio n s of these co n sti
tuents in th e blood an d m ilk of th e respective anim als.
Of the non-p ro tein -n itro g en group of substances only the proportions of u re a an d am m onia were m arkedly and consistently affected b y differences in th e ration.
A. G. Po l l a r d. N u tritiv e v a lu e of b lo o d - m e a l p r o t e i n f o r
g r o w t h . A. R . W i n t e r (Ohio Agric. E x p . S ta.
Bull., 1929, No. 436, 42 p p .).— T he p a la ta b ility of blood-meal is low a n d in general controls its n u tritiv e value. T he dig estib ility of blood-m eal decreases n ith fall of te m p e ra tu re used in p rep ara tio n . The biological value of th e p ro te in is low. T he basic amino-aeids occur in a p p ro x im a tely th e sam e am o u n ts as in caseinogen. P ig ’s blood has a g re a te r n u tritiv e value th a n sheep’s blood an d th e serum a higher value th a n th e clot. B lood-m eal is n o t toxic, a n d is satisfactorily su p plem ented b y caseinogen or m aize
S*u t e n . A. G. P o l l a r d .
N u tr itiv e v a lu e of b e n n is e e d (S c s a m u tn in - ilicu m ). W . E . McCt t l l o c h (N ature, 1931, 127, 1J9-—200).—A nalyses of seed grow n in th e B enue Province gave th e following relativ e percentages : oil 52-6, p ro tein 23-4, ash 4-0, CaO 1-2, P 20 5 1-39.
T he p la n t ap p ears to exercise a stro n g selective ab so rp tiv e pow er for calcium . L. S. Th e o b a l d.
I n c r e a s e of h e p a tic p r o t e i n s w i t h a d i e t of a m i x t u r e of a m in o - a c id s , b u t t e r - f a t , a n d d e x tr o s e . C. Ga u t i e r (Bull. Soc. Chim. biol., 1930, 12, 1382—
1391; cf. A., 1928, 792).— B y com paring th e w eight of th e rig h t lobes of th e livers rem oved from frogs w ith th e w eight of th e left lobes a n d rem aining p o rtio n s of th e liver a fte r feeding th e sam e anim als for som e w eeks on a d ie t com posed of a m ix tu re of am ino-acids, b u tte r-fa t, dextrose, v itam in s, a n d saline m ix tu re, i t is found th a t th e w eight of th e liver is g reatly increased, an d th e to ta l am o u n t of p ro tein is increased, alth o u g h th e p ro p o rtio n of p ro tein is less. T he w eight of th e liver is increased tw ice in p ro p o rtio n to th a t of th e to ta l am o u n t of pro tein .
B. Le v i n. T r y p t o p h a n a n d h i s t i d i n e a r e a n a b o lic s u b s ta n c e s . G. FoN Tks an d L. Th i v o l l e (Com pt.
ren d ., 1931, 192, 63— 65).— S ubcutaneous in jectio n of 100 mg. of try p to p h a n p er d ay in to dogs fed on a co n sta n t d ie t causes a m ark ed increase in w eight.
H istid in e (200 m g. p e r d ay ) is w ith o u t effect, b u t sim ultaneous in jection of th e sam e q u a n titie s of th ese am ino-acids causes a g re a te r increase in w eight th a n try p to p h a n alone, an d a d istin c t decrease in u rin a ry nitrogen. I t is concluded t h a t these am ino- acids aid assim ilato ry processes, p a rtic u la rly those affecting nitrogen m etabolism . A. Co h e n.
N e w f u n c tio n of th e s t o m a c h . R o le of t h i s o r g a n i n t h e m e t a b o l i s m of c a r b a m i d e . R . Vl a d e s c o, D. Si m c i, a n d M. Po p e s c o (Com pt. rend., 1931, 192, 308— 310).— I n norm al m etabolism th e sto m ach rem oves a p o rtio n of th e carbam ide from th e blood an d passes th is in to its co n ten ts in th e form of am m onia. C arbam ide (60 c.c. of a 2-5% solution) w as in jected in to th e ju g u lar vein of a dog, previously anaesthetised w ith chloralose, followed b y a hista m in e in jectio n to increase g astric secretion, an d th e am o u n t of carb am id e in th e blood, a n d of am m onia in th e g astric juice, d eterm in ed a t in terv als. T he form er ra p id ly decreases, a corresponding increase in th e am m onia c o n te n t being observed. S im ilar resu lts are o b tain ed w hen a carb am id e solution is k e p t w ith g astric juice (dog) in vitro a t 37°. J . W . Ba k e r.
N i t r o g e n m e t a b o l i s m of c h ild r e n . J . P . Pa r s o n s (Amer. J . Dis. C hildren, 1930, 39, 1221—
1239).— N orm al children, 4— 8 yrs. old, an d d iabetic children receiving insulin m ay m a in ta in a positive n itro g en balance on 1-1 or 2-2 g. of p ro te in p er kg., respectively. A n isodynam ic eq u iv alen t of carb o h y d ra te or fa t m u st replace th e p ro te in w ith d raw n in order to m a in ta in n itro g en balance on a m inim um p ro te in in ta k e . Ch e m i c a l Ab s t r a c t s.
S u l p h u r c o m p o u n d s in th e o r g a n i s m of th e d o g . I . A c tio n a n d f a te of t h io p h e n in t h e m e t a b o l i s m of t h e d o g . A. A. Ch r i s t o m a n o s
(Biochem. Z„ 1930, 229, 248— 254).— Of th e to ta l am o u n t of th io p h en subcutaneously ad m in istered to dogs u p to 12% is ex creted in th e com bined form in th e u rin e a n d p a rt of th e rem ain d er m ay be con
v e rte d in th e organism in to e th y l sulphide. T hiophen h as no in h ib ito ry effect on th e nitrogen m etabolism .
A m odification of th e process of F le tc h e r an d H opkins for th e d e te rm in a tio n of lactic acid (A., 1907, ii, 373) can be used for th e colorim etric d e term in atio n of 0-07— 7-0 m g. of thiophen. W . McCa r t n e y.
E l i m i n a t i o n of p h o s p h o r ic a c id f r o m a d e n y lic a c id i n m u s c u l a r c o n tr a c tio n . G. Em b d e n a n d M. Le i i n a r t z (Klin. W och., 1930, 9, 937; Chem.
Z en tr., 1930, ii, 2154).— A t th e m om ent of c o n tra c tio n adenylic acid lib erates phosphoric acid. The increase in th e non-pentose-phosphoric acid observed im m ediately a fte r fatiguing stim u la tio n is followed b y a m uch g re a te r increase in th is p en to se fraction
a fte r 2 hrs. A. A. El d r i d g e.
C a lo r ic q u o t i e n t of l a c tic a c id i n m u s c le . O.
Me y e r h o f, R . McCu l l a g h, a n d W . Sc h u l z (Pfliiger’s A rchiv, 1930, 224, 230— 24S; Chem. Z en tr., 1930, ii, 1722).— T he following new d e term in atio n s (± 1 0 % ) of th e caloric q u o tie n t (g.-cal. p e r g. of lactic acicl form ed anaerobically in muscle) are recorded : up to th e beginning of fatigue 360— 395; in progressive anaiirobiosis w ith o u t effusion of lactic acid from m uscle 345; during effusion 300; in caffeine rigor 280; in m inced m uscle u p to th e form ation of 0-5—
0-7% of lactic acid 300; w ith passage of lactic acid in to p h o sp h a te solution 240. A. A. El d e i d g e.
T o x ic ity of d l -l a c t i c a c id a n d e x t e n t to w h ic h i t c a n b e a s s i m i l a t e d . 0 . F u r t h a n d P . E n g e l (Biocliem. Z., 1930, 229, 381— 396).— T he m o st s a tis
fa c to ry m eth o d fo r th e d eterm in atio n of lactic acid in u rine is t h a t of Ish ih a ra (A., 1913, ii, 536). I n m an, w hen rfMactic acid is ad m in istered 20— 30% of i t is ex creted in th e urine. I n ra b b its, th e toxic effect of th e acid, especially w hen orally adm inistered, is high. T h e to x ic ity to m ice is n o t so pronounced, a n d r a ts to le ra te v ery large doses. N e ith e r th e assim ilation of th e acid nor its to x ic effects are affected b y a d m in istra tio n of sodium carb o n ate, adrenaline, phloridzin, o r dextrose. I n ra b b its non- fa ta l phosphorus poisoning causes excessivo excretion of lactic acid, b u t a fte r recovery th e pow er to assim ilate th e acid is tem p o rarily increased. I n ra ts to w hich over-doses of la c ta te are ad m in istered no storage of lactic acid o r of its precursors ta k e s place. As regards th e ir c a ta ly tic ox id atio n w ith activ e charcoal, th e re is no difference betw een d- an d Mac tic acids. I t is concluded th a t dZ-lactic acid is n o t a com pletely assim ilable or useful food. W . M c C a r t n e y .
L a c ta c id o g e n i n i n t e r m e d i a r y m e t a b o l i s m . A. Y . Kh a r i t (Arch. Biol. N a u k , 1929, 29, 443—
454).— T he blood-lactacidogen of m an, dog, a n d ra b b it is of th e sam e o rd er of m ag n itu d e as th e m uscle- lactacidogen. E vidence of lactacidogen synthesis in th e in te stin a l w all a n d lungs is adduced. C arbo
h y d ra te feeding a n d increased blood-sugar do n o t raise th e blood-lactacidogen. T h e lactacidogen-phos- pho ru s is found in th e acid-soluble fractio n of th e blood-phosphorus. Ch e m i c a l Ab s t r a c t s.
G ly c o g e n s t o r a g e i n th e w h i t e r a t w h e n fe d o n t h e r o o t s of A r c tiu m la p p a . J . C . Kr a n t z, ju n ., a n d C. J . Ca r r (J. P h a rm . E x p . T her., 1931, 41, 83—
87).— Tho a d d itio n of th e d ry pow dered ro o t of A . lappa (containing 50—70% of carb o h y d ra te y ield ing Uevulose on hydrolysis) to th e b asal d ie t (cacao
b u tte r) of w hite r a ts re su lts in a n increase of glycogen in th e liver to 5— 6 tim es th e a m o u n t fo u n d in controls.
A n increase is also caused b y th e ad d itio n to th e basal d ie t of th e p u re carb o h y d ra te iso lated from th e roots.
W . 0 . K e r m a c k. A c tio n of m a l t o s e o n t h e m e t a b o l i s m a n d a n a b o l i s m of in f a n ts . M. St e u b e r a n d A. Se i f e r t
(Arch. K in d erh eilk u n d e, 1930, 8 7 , 192— 207; Chem.
Z en tr., 1930, ii, 85).— T he increase in w eight of children w as alw ays less w ith successive increased a d m in istra tio n of d ex tro se a n d equicaloric lowering of fa t. T h e effect of th e increased carb o h y d ra te dose on digestion m an ifested itself only in a slig h tly lower co nsum ption of n itro g en a n d m ineral substances.
T he re te n tio n of n itro g en a n d of inorganic m a terial w as essentially less, b u t th e h e a t p ro d u ctio n p er u n it a re a w as unaffected. F a t sy n th esis from dextrose was n o t d etectab le. L. S. Th e o b a l d.
S ig n if ic a n c e of b ile a c id s i n c a r b o h y d r a t e m e t a b o l i s m . V III. M e c h a n is m of th e h y p o - g ly c s e m ic a c tio n of b ile a c id s . Iv. Ts u j i (J.
Biochem ., J a p a n , 1930, 1 2 , 139— 160).—T he hypo- glycajmic effect of th e a d m in istra tio n to ra b b its of bile acids is p ro b ab ly d ue to p araly sis of th e sy m p a th e tic . T he effect is increased b y potassiu m ions.
Ch e m i c a l Ab s t r a c t s. M o r p h o lo g ic a l b a s i s f o r c e r t a i n t i s s u e r e s i s t a n c e . W . d eB . Ma cNi d e r (Science, 1931, 73, 103— 105).— S ubcu tan eo u s in jec tio n of a solution of uran iu m n itra te (2—4 m g. p e r kg.) resu lts in a n initial increase in th e fo rm atio n of urine, w hich is album inous, a decrease in elim ination of phenolsulphonephthalein, a red u ctio n in reserve alk ali of th e blood, a n d an in itial re te n tio n of blood-carbam ide a n d -non-protein- nitro g en followed by re te n tio n of creatinine. The m orphological changes are described.
L. S. Th e o b a l d. A c tio n of m a g n e s i u m c h lo r id e o n th e r e s p i r a tio n a n d c o n t r a c t i l i t y of t h e f r o g v e n tr ic le . J- Le i b o w i t z an d A. Sc h w e i t z e r (Biochem . Z., 1930, 22 9 , 291— 295; A., 1930, 1613).—A t th e end of the season of th e y e a r a t w hich th e frog’s h e a rt exhibits h y p ersen sitiv ity to w ard s th e actio n of m agnesium salts th e g ra d u a lly decreasing in h ib ito ry effect which these h av e on th e c o n tra c tility of th e organ runs p aralle l w ith th e ir in h ib ito ry effect on th e respiration of th e tissues. T he in h ib ito ry effect of low con
ce n tra tio n s of m agnesium chloride on biological o x id atio n in th e frog can be observed, in sum m er, in th e h e a rt tissue b u t n o t in th e liv er tissue.
W . McCa r t n e y. A c tio n of i n t r a c e r e b r a l in je c tio n of c a lc iu m , m a g n e s i u m , s t r o n t i u m , b a r i u m , p o t a s s i u m , an d s o d i u m io n s . M. Cl o e t t a a n d II . Fi s c h e r (Arch, exp. P a th . P h a rm ., 1930, 1 5 8 , 254—281).— 'Typica1 p h enom ena of sleep m a y be in d u ced in ra ts , cats, dogs, a n d ra b b its b y in jectin g 0-05— 1-5 m g. of calcium chloride in to a sharply-defined area of th e infundibular region of th e b rain . T he effect of m agnesium is indefinite, b u t, in h igher doses, is sim ilar to th a t of calcium . S tro n tiu m produces non-characteristic sy m p to m s of p aralysis a n d stim u la tio n associated w ith toxic effects. T he b a riu m ion is h ighly toxic, causing in ten se stim u la tio n on in jectio n in to an y p art
B IO C H E M I S T R Y . 3 8 7
of th e brain. P o tassiu m chloride h a s a s tim u la n t effect w hich m a y be suppressed b y calcium chloride.
H ypertonic solutions (3— 4% ) of sodium chloride cause slight stim u la tio n w hich m a y n o t be a specific effect of th e sodium ion. A. Co h e n.