BRITISH CHEMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS
A., III.—Physiology and Biochem istry (including Anatomy)
M A Y, 1942.
I.— GENERAL ANATOMY AND MORPHOLOGY.
Hypogastric artery in A m erican w hites and negroes. F. L. Ashley and B. j . Anson (Am er. J . phys. Anthrop., 1941, 28, 381— 395).—
The variation in th e h y p o g astric vessels is g re at a n d 9 m ajo r ty p es and 49 su btypes a re described. Less v a ria tio n w as found in th e origin of th e vesical a n d m iddle rectal arteries. N o strik in g racial differences w ere n o ted . N egroes resem ble th e P oles a n d Jap an ese more closely th a n do th e w hites. W . F . H .
Relation of sc ia tic n erve to piriformis m uscle in Chinese. P ’an lling-Tzu (Amer. J . p h ys. Anthrop., 1941, 28, 375— 380).— The report is m ade from a s tu d y of 140 lim bs of n o rth ern Chinese, chiefly males. A te x t-b o o k ty p e a n d 4 ty p es of variatio n s are described. An u n d iv id ed nerve below a n undivided muscle occurred in approx. tw o th ird s of all cases a n d in th e m ajo rity th is condition
"as bilateral. N o difference in th e distrib u tio n of norm al and abnormal ty p es as to side a n d sex w as established. R acial sim i
larities an d differences betw een Chinese a n d Jap an ese a n d a few
white races are n o ted . W . F . H .
Regeneration o l bone tissu e. A. G. Jeletzk i (J. M id . Ukraine,
19«, 10, 981— 997). M. K.
Epiphyseal grow th : norm al sequence of events at epiphyseal plate.
T. H. Ingalls (E ndocrinol., 1941, 29, 710— 719).— A description of ossification in th e r a t ’s tib ia , illu stra te d b y .Y-ray an d photom icro
graphs an d a A g-staining m eth o d for C a-containing tissues. Ca is present in tran sv erse as well a s longitudinal se p ta. V. J . W .
Epiphyseal grow th : effect of rem oval o! adrenal and pituitary il&nds on epiphyses of grow ing rats. T. H . Ingalls a n d D. R . H ayes (Endocrinol., 1941, 29, 720— 724).— R em oval of ad ren als in ra ts causes failure of bone form ation sim ilar to, b u t m ore severe th an , that known to follow hypophysectom y. (Photom icrographs.)
V. J . W . Effects o! adrenal cortical substances and parathyroid extract on Phosphatase con ten t of rat fem u rs. H . L. W illiam s a n d E . M. W a t
son (Endocrinol., 1941, 29, 250— 257).— P h o sp h atase w as determ ined the m eth o d o f M a rtla n d a n d R obison (P hysiol. Abs., 1929, 14, 435). Sm all re p ea te d doses of p a ra th y ro id e x tra c t increased phos
phatase of d iap h y ses w ith o u t alterin g t h a t of epiphyses. A drenal cortical e x tra c t, corticosterone, a n d K e n d all’s E com pound reduced phosphatase of b o th d iaphyses a n d epiphyses, especially th e la tte r.
Deoxycorticosterone a ce ta te increased p h o sp h atase. V. J . W . Effects of sex horm ones, thyroxine, and thym u s extract on phos
phatase con ten t o l rat fem u rs. H . L. W illiam s a n d E . M. W atson Endocrinol., 1941, 29, 258— 261).—P h o sp h ata se c o n te n t is increased hy progesterone, testo stero n e, ocstradiol, th y m u s e x tra c t, a n d thyroxine. T h e increase is specially m arked in th e epiphyses a fte r
administration of testo ste ro n e. V. J . W .
Factors in flu en cin g prem ature in fan t m ortality. H . A bram son IJ. Pediat., 1941, 12, 545— 561).— A crit. review. C. J . C. B.
Effect of pubertas preecox on age at w h ich onset of w alk in g occurs.
• Dennis (Amer. 1. D is. Child., 1941, 61, 951— 957).— F rom a
«view of 25 cases it w as found t h a t th e range of ages a t w hich talking b egan w as 9— 18 m o n th s (m ean 13-6). T hese figures are the sam e as th o se for ch ild ren o f n o rm al gro w th . C. J . C. B.
Ectoderm al and m esoderm al dysplasia w ith osseous in volvem ent.
«• N. Cole, J . R . D river, H . K . Giggen, a n d G. S tro u d (Arch. Dermal.
Syphilol., 1941, 44, 773— 788).— A 26-year-old w om an is described J'ith d issem inated a tro p h o d e rm a of th e chin, neck, a n d tru n k an d
* linear a rra n g e m e n t on th e a rm s a n d legs, accom panied b y localised Pigmentation a n d telangiectases. M icroscopically, th e areas show ed Partial o r com plete absence o f sw eat glands, oil glands, a n d h a ir Papilla; a n d d y s tro p h y of som e nails a n d te e th . Collagen a n d elastic tissu e fibres w ere ab se n t. She h a d a congenital absence of the 3rd to e a n d m e ta ta rsa l bone of th e le ft foot. T h ere w ere also syndactyly of th e la s t 2 fingers of th e rig h t h a n d a n d o f th e first
‘ digits of th e le ft foot. (2 photom icrographs.) C. J . C. B . , O xycephaly and supernum erary teeth. M. R u sh to n (B rit. Dent.
J ; 1941, 70, 370— 371).— A case re p o rt. H . H . K.
Foetal abnorm alities cau sin g difficult labour. B . H . Sheares (J.
Obstel. Gyntzc., 1941, 48, 354— 376). P. C. W .
O 2 ( A ., I I I . )
Diagnosis ol dicephalic monster by antenatal X-ray examination.
E . F . H u n te r (J. Obstet. Gynccc., 1941, 48, 251). P . C. W.
Pterygo-nuchal infantilism (Turner’s syndrome). E . P . S harpey- Schafer (Lancet, 1941, 241, 559— 560).— A w om an aged 21 show ed w ebbed neck, in fan tilism , cu b itu s valgus, an d pig m en ted moles.
T ests fo r a n te rio r p itu ita ry deficiency w ere n eg ativ e a n d a u to p s y show ed n orm al p itu ita ry , th y ro id , a n d a d ren a l glands. T h e ovaries w ere d estro y ed b y ex ten siv e tu b erculosis a n d it is suggested th e in fan tilism is due to a p rim a ry gonadal defcct. C. A. K .
Uncomplicated interatrial septal defect (patent foramen primum).
A. J . Steigm an a n d H . M. P u tn a m (Am er. J . D is. Child., 1941, 62, 1041— 1051).— R e p o rt of a ease in w hich congestive h e a r t failure a n d d e a th occurred a t 1 m o n th of age. C. J . C. B.
Malformation of tragus. J. A. M. d 'A ltc an d A. M oitas (B ull.
Soc. Portugaise Sci. N a t., 1940, 13, 85— 89).—T h e a b n o rm a lity w as observed in a m ale aged 8 m o n th s. T h e left tra g u s w as bifid, th e inferior p o rtio n resem bling th e n o rm al stru c tu re . A sm all fleshy em inence w as p re sen t below th e in ferio r p o rtio n . T h e freq u en cy of th is ty p e of m alform ation in m ales is n oted. W . F . H .
Morphological and pigment anomalies in flat fishes. A. N . A boim (B ull. Soc. Portugaise Sci. N a t., 1939, 13, 47— 51).— T he anom alies a re described in th e species Solea vulgaris, Q uens., a n d S. scnegalensis,
K au p . W . F . H .
Evolution ol fleece of sheep. H . G oot (Nature, 1941, 148, 596—
597).— T h e course o f ev olution h a s ru n from P la te a u , th ro u g h S addle a n d R av in e, to V alley a n d P lain . A ta b le is given of t i e relativ e ab u n d an ce of th e several fibre-types in different array s.
E . R . S.
II.— DESCRIPTIVE AND EXPERIMENTAL EMBRY
OLOGY. HEREDITY.
Position ol diencephalon in comparative and experimental embry
ology. F . E . L ehm ann (Schweiz, med. W schr., 1941, 71, 379— 380).
— A review of th e a u th o r s ex p erim e n ts on in d u ctio n a n d organisers in th e archencephalic a n d deu teren cep h alic region. A. S.
Sensory nerves and associated structures in skin of hum an Icetuses ol 8 to 14 weeks menstrual age correlated with functional capability.
I. D . H ogg (J. comp. N eurol., 1941, 75, 371— 410).—T h e foetuses (which were ones used b y D . H o o k er in his stu d ies on fcetal responses) w ere sta in e d w ith v ario u s A g m eth o d s of w hich t h a t of B odian proved m ost sa tisfac to ry . T h e sk in from reflexogenous zones received m o st a tte n tio n b u t th e re a re descrip tio n s of th e n e rv e fibres an d endings in o th e r p a r ts of th e bod y . D etails of th e histogenesis of th e fibres a n d endings a re recorded a n d th e findings are co rrelated w ith th e fu n ctio n al c a p a b ility fou n d before d e a th . I t is suggested t h a t e arly e x citatio n of th e sensory nerves is p ro b a b ly d ep en d en t on d eform ation of th e grow ing tip s of th e fibres b y disp lacem en t of
th e su rro u n d in g tissue. J . D . B.
Embryology of Squilla. K . B . N a ir (Proc. In d ia n A cad. S ci., 1941, 14, B, 543— 576).— T he e arly dev elo p m en t of S. raphidea a n d S . vbood-masoni h a s b een w orked o u t. T h e e arliest o ocyte e x h ib its a larg e c e n tra l nucleus a n d p ro m in e n t nucleolus. W hen ex tru d e d th e first p o lar division is ta k in g place a n d th e spindle form ed is sm all a n d situ a te d a t th e p erip h e ry of th e egg. G a stru latio n ta k e s place b y im m ig ratio n of cells from a b lasto p h o ral depression. T he m ig ratin g cells give rise to th e n a u p lia r m esoderm al som ites a n d to yo lk cells. T h e la s t to m ig rate form th e m id -g u t ru d im e n t w hich grow s b y th e ad d itio n of m odified y o lk cells. A folding of m id -g u t ep ith eliu m form s th e liver. T h e fo rm atio n of n a u p lia r a n d tru n k m esoderm is described. T h e significance of th e findings in tracin g th e affinities of th e S to m ato p o d a is considered. W . F . H .
Development of Arius jella (Day). K . C h id am b aram (Proc.
In d ia n A cad. Sci., 1941, 14, B, 502— 508).— A s soon as th e eggs (d iam eter 10-5 m m.) a re laid th e m ale fertilises a n d tra n s fe rs th em to his m o u th , th e no. carried b y one m ale v a ry in g from 30 to 40.
O ral g estatio n la s ts u n til th e y o lk sac d isap p ears. A t 80 h r. age th e em bryo is 7— 7-5 m m . in len g th a n d p ig m en t is found in th e ey es; th e v a sc u la r a rea covers tw o th ird s of th e yo lk m ass a n d blood vessels a n d re d blood corpuscles h a v e a p p ea red . A t 90 h r.
3 6 2
th e th ree m ain divisions of th e b rain a r e clearly form ed. G row th is g rad u al d u rin g th e first 20 d a y s ; in th e follow ing 10 d a y s it is r a p id an d th e y o u n g h a tc h o u t a b o u t t h e 30th d ay . In th e new ly h a tc h ed larv a all 3 p a irs of b arb els a re well developed a n d th e yolk sac is p ro m in e n t. T h e m ain c h an g es n o ted in la te r stag es are g ro w th in size, changes in colour, a n d d im in u tio n in th e size of th e y o lk sac. T h e a d u lt form is reach ed a b o u t 1 m o n th a f te r h a tc h in g .
W . F . H . Buds induced by nerve cord implants in Clymenella torquata.
L. P . Sayles (Biol. B u ll., 1940, 78, 298— 311).— W hen pieces of v arious regions of n erve cord from a n a d u lt w orm are im p la n te d in to a h o st a n te rio r to th e 10th seg m en t h e a d b u d s a re produced, w hile p o sterio r to th e 12th, ta il b u d s a rc form ed. In g en eral th e h o st d eterm in es th e ty p e, a n d th e im p la n t th e o rien tatio n , of th e b u d , b u t th e p a r t of th e b u d n e are st to th e im p la n t m ay b e in fluenced b y th e site of origin of th e im p la n t. D. M. Sa.
Buds induced by nerve cord implants in Clymenella torquata.
L. P . Sayles (Biol. B u ll., 1940, 78, 375— 387).— Im p la n ts from head ends of d onors p roduce h e ad b u d s if im p la n te d in to h o st segm ents
1— 9, b u t im p la n ts from th e ta il en d s p roduce b u d s w hich are m ain ly u n d iffere n tia te d b u t show a n a l segm ents v en tra lly . Seg
m e n ta tio n in b u d s is o ften indefinite. D . M. Sa. Relative growth in individual. A. E . N eedham (Nature, 1941, 148, 52— 53).— F ro m o b serv atio n s on Carcinus moenas (1) sim ple a llo m etry applies to g ro w th in th e in d iv id u al a n d is n o t m erely a fe a tu re in th e p o p u la tio n ; (2) th ere a re tw o p lan es of sim ple allo
m e try fo r fro n ta l w id th /carap ace, tra n s itio n o ccurring a t th e 5 th m o u lt; (3) th ere a re tw o p hases for d e n ta ry m arg in /ca rap a ce , tra n s itio n occurring a t th e 3rd m o u lt; (4) th e curve of relativ e g ro w th betw een 2 p a rtic u la r dim ensions show s v a ria tio n s in different in d iv id u als; (5) in crease in b o d y size a f te r each ecdysis follows B rooks' la w ; (6) c o n tra ste d w ith b o d y size th e in te rm o u lt tim e
increases v e ry irreg u larly . E . R . S.
Relative growth in individual. S. J . F olley a n d A. C; B o tto m ley (Nature, 1941, 148, 169).— R e la tiv e g ro w th d a ta on indiv id u als a re
given in 3 p a p ers referred to . E . R . S.
Terminology of relative growth rates. J . S. H u x ley , J . N eedham , a n d I. M. L erner (Nature, 1941, 148, 225).— H eterau x esis is th e re la tio n of th e g ro w th -rate of a p a r t to t h a t of th e w hole o r a n o th e r p a r t of a d eveloping o rganism . A llom orphosis is th e re la tio n of p a r ts o f o rganism s a t som e definite age to w holes o r p a r ts a t some definite age b u t of d ifferen t groups. A llom etry is o n to g en etic h e te rau x e sis a n d phy lo g en etic allom orphosis. E . R . S.
Genetic studies on neurogenous talipes clavus. A. Id elb erg er (Allgem. Z . P sychiat., 1939, 112, 313— 326).— I n 2 families, talip es clavus developed in sev eral in d iv id u als b etw een th e 2nd a n d 10th y ear, asso ciated in each case w ith a slig h t o r m o d erate in te llectu al
defect. H . L.
Syringomyelia and teratoma ol spinal cord. W . Voss (Z. ges.
Neurol. P sychiat., 1938, 163, 289— 298).— A case is re p o rte d in d ic a t
in g t h a t d y sra p h ia m a y som etim es b e d u e to a d ev elo p m en tal d is
tu rb a n c e in e arly em b ry o n ic life, such as th e g ro w th of a n i n tra d u ra l te ra to m a . [D ysraphia’ is im p erfect closure of th e p rim a ry n eu ral tu b e resu ltin g in cleft-fo rm atio n of th e c e n tra l p a rts of th e spinal co rd w ith disten sio n o r in co m p lete closure of th e sp in al canal.]
H . L.
Double monsters in light o! recent biological experiments regarding heredity. Contribution to the problem of determination of sex. B.
S zendi (J. Obstet. Gynmc., 1939, 46, 836— 847).— Tw o th o raco p h ag i a re described. T h e u n ion in each p a ir w as b y hom ologous organs p arallel to th e ir lo n g itu d in al axes. In one p a ir one m em b er h a d n o rm al th o u g h u nder-developed fem ale g en italia w hile th e o th er m em b er h a d e x te rn a l m ale g en itals w ith ru d im e n ta ry u teru s, tubes, a n d ovaries. T h e o th e r p a ir w ere b o th fem ale b u t th e re w as absence of th e rig h t ovary, tu b e , a n d u te ru s in one m em ber. T he re su lts are discussed a n d th e m o n sters reg ard ed as m onozygotic.
T h e p seu d o h erm ap h ro d ite is p e rh ap s caused b y th e actio n of "the p ersisting fuchsinophil cells in th e adrenals. P . C. W .
Nomenclature of fowl genetics. J . D . S m y th (Nature, 1941, 148, 781).-—T h e use of sym bols such as P l . P 1, P 3 is recom m ended for genes, in place of sym bols such as B r, w hich a re am biguous.
E . R . S.
Chromosome breakage and sterility in m ouse. P . C. K oller an d C. A. A uerbach (Nature, 1941, 148, 501— 502).— Cytological analy sis of interchangei h y b rid s of 3 sem isterile lines of m ice, p ro d u ced b y S n ell's A '-ray tech n iq u e (1933), show s t h a t th e different degree of s te rility is d eterm in ed b y th e freq u en cy of m u ltiv ale n t association a n d b y th e ty p e of o rien tatio n o f th e q u a d riv a le n t. B eside th e seg m en tal in terch an g e p re sen t in all sem isterile individuals, m in o r s tru c tu ra l changes o r m u ta tio n s w ith a deleterious effect on fe rtility w ere b ro u g h t a b o u t in th e chrom osom es b y irra d ia tio n a n d h an d ed on b y chance segregation to som e in d iv id u als of th e n e x t generation.
X -R ay in g g erm inal cells in m an involves th e risk of in d u cin g h e rit
ab le ste rility in th e d escen d an ts ow ing to em bryonic m o rta lity of zygotes w ith a n un b alan ced chrom osom e com plem ent. E . R . S.
303
Relation between nutrition and exhibition of the gene Antennaless (Drosophila melanogaster). C. G ordon a n d J. H .JS ang (Proc. Roy., Soc., 1941, B, 130, 185— 201).— E v en in th e highly standardised conditions of a Drosophila c u ltu re m edium th e interaction between genetic a n d e n v iro n m en tal agencies is v e ry in tric ate. A variety of agencies likely to be re lated to th e e x h ib itio n of Antennaless were explored a n d th e gene w as fou n d to be re m a rk ab ly sensitive to small n u tritio n a l changes. V itam in -B , effectively lim ited its exhibition.
I t is suggested t h a t A ntennaless a n d o th e r m u ta n ts with similar idiosyncrasies m ig h t be used as te s ts to shed lig h t on the problems
of in sect n u tritio n . W. F. H.
Sex-linked mutations of Drosophila melanogaster induced Ij neutron radiations from a cyclotron. H . Y . N ishina and D. Mori- w ak i (Set. Papers In st. P hys. Chem. lies. Tokyo, 1941, 38, 371—
376; cf. A., 1940, I I I , 179).— c u ltu res resu ltin g from sex-linked leth als a n d c o n tain in g no m ales w ere m ate d w ith wild males and th e sex ra tio w as d e term in ed in th e offspring. T h is showed that in a b o u t 4 0 % of cases “ g ro u p in g of m u ta tio n s in one chromosome "
occurred. J. L. D.
Action of X-rays on cell. I. The chromosome variable. H.
The external variable. H . B. N ew com be (J. Genet., 1942, 43, 145- 171, 237— 248).— I. T ulip, h y a c in th , a n d Tradescanlia pollen grain cells ex h ib it a slight increase in th e no. of new reunions and a con
siderable increase in th e no. of frac tu res w hen A '-rayed late in the n u clear cycle. E a rly o r la te sp littin g of th e chromosomes is inde
p e n d e n t of th e len g th o f tim e av ailab le a n d th e tim e required for th e sp littin g is in d ep e n d en t o f th e len g th o f th e nuclear cycle. In re g ard to a rran g em en t, exchange is m ore lik ely to ta k e place between tw o p a r ts of a n a rm th a n betw een p a r ts o f op p o site arm s and like
wise betw een p a r ts of o pposite arm s th a n betw een p a rts of different chrom osom es. T h e original p ro x im ity of chrom osom e parts thus influences w hich ends will reu n ite. Cell d e a th resu lted from loss of chrom osom e p a r ts a n d n o t from b re ak a g e o t m u ta tio n alone.
II. In Tradescantia pollen g rain divisions o n e-b reak chromosome changes (fractures) v a r y as th e sq u are of th e dose a n d two-break changes as th e 1 -5 pow er. A ll ty p e s of c h an g e increase w ith slightly hig h er pow er o f dose, p ro v id ed th e d u ra tio n a n d intensity are const., a n d th e *' in te n s ity effect ” ap p lies e q u ally to one- and two- b re ak changes. I t is concluded t h a t irra d ia tio n n o t only b r e a k s the chrom osom es b u t also in h ib its reu n io n of b ro k en ends. The ' in
h ib itio n effect ’’ in creases w ith th e dose a n d is g re a te s t when the dose is a d m in istered ra p id ly . T h e beh av io iir of " minute frag
m en ts ” is discu ssed ; in Tradescantia pollen tu b e divisions they include a large p ro p o rtio n of sm all rings. W. F. H.
Calculation and precision of linkage values from tetrad analysis- K . M ath er a n d G. H . B eale (J. Genet., 1943, 43, 1— 30). W . F. H.
Effects of ionising radiations on chromosomes of Tradescantia bracteata. A comparison between neutrons and A'-rays. ]■ '*•
T h o d ay (J. Genet., 1942, 43, 189— 210).— N eu tro n s produce qualit
ativ e ly th e sam e ty p e s o f chrom osom e a b e rra tio n s as A'-rays but m ore of all ty p e s á re p ro d u ced p e r ionisatio n . T h e ratio s of «**
dose of A’-ray s to th e dose of n e u tro n s req u ired to produce equal nos. of a b e rra tio n s a re given. A '-R ays a n d n e u tro n s do not difler in th e ir effects o n th e rejoining process. M ore th a n one io n is a tio n
is req u ire d to b re a k a Tradescantia chrom osom e th re a d . The find
ings a re ascrib ed to th e g re a te r no. of p rim a ry b re ak s and their
different d istrib u tio n . W . F. H.
Homologous chromosome pairing : the physical problem. A- c- F ab erg é (J. Genet., 1942, 43, 121— 144).— C alculations prove that a u n it of hom ologous p airin g fu n ctio n in g b y G u y o t-B jerk n c s effect is possible w ith in n arro w q u a n t, lim its. U sing th e G u y o t - B j e r k n e s
effect (a h y d ro d y n am ical phenom enon) a phy sical hypothesis is p u t forw ard w hich ex p lain s hom ologous pairing" a n d satisfies all the con d itio n s im posed b y k now n biological facts. W . F. H.
III.— PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY.
Stature and weight of children of United States. H . V. M e r e d i t h
(Am er. J . D is. Child., 1941, 62, 909— 932).— B etw een ages 9 and 14, b o y s living in th e U n ite d S ta te s to -d ay , w h ite a n d Negro, are 6—-8 % ta lle r a n d 12— 15% h e av ier th a n 50 y e ars ago. W h ite hoys of th e professional a n d m ajo r m anagerial classes a re taller (5%) a n d h e av ier (6%) th a n those of th e unskilled a n d sem iskilled classes.
B oys in th e U n ited S ta te s of v ario u s e th n ic groups (roughly com
p a rab le fo r socioeconom ic sta tu s , geographic e n v iro n m en t, and decade of ex am in atio n ) d o n o t differ in av erag e s ta tu re b y more th a n 2 in . T h e w ts. flu ctu ate in d ep en d en tly . C. J .C . B.
Growth rate of Chinese. C. H . W u a n d S. Soong (Am er. J . phys- A nthrop., 1941, 28, 357— 373).— O ver 40,000 cases em bracing most of th e av ailab le records in th e lite ra tu re on bo d y m e a s u r e m e n t s
ta k e n w ith in th e la s t decade w ere utilised in th e stu d y . T w o spurts occu r in th e g ro w th curve, one d u rin g late p re n a ta l life a n d a n o t h e r
d u rin g preadolescence. B o d y -w t. increases m ain ly during adoles
cence. T h e u p p e r p a r t of th e b o d y grow s m ore slowly th a n the low er p a r t as age advances, equilibrium being reached a fte r adol
escence. “ C e n tim etre-w t." a n d th e s u rfa c e -sta tu re in d ex con- 364 A., I I I .—h i, PH Y SIC A L ANTH RO PO LO G Y .
365 A., III.— iv , CYTOLOGY, HISTOLOGY, A N D TISSU E CULTU RE, v , BLOOD A N D LYM PH . 366 stantly increase from b i r t h , to m a tu rity b u t p o stn atal grow th is
due more to increase of m ass a n d surface th an of length. S ta tis
tically the d a ta in d ic a te th e general tcn d en cy o f grow th in th e race.
Comparison w ith th e grow th curves of " W esterners ” shows sim i
larity in all fu n d a m e n ta l characteristics, th e only difference found being in the abs. vals. of b o d y m easurem ents. The sm aller body size in Chinese m ay b e explained in p a rt by th eir h e red itary con
stitution. T he fa ct t h a t th e racc has liv ed 'so long in an en v iro n ment with poor n u tritio n an d o th er conditions unfavourable to physical developm ent suggests t h a t th e present population is n ot developed to th e m ax . of its h ered itary endow m ent. W . F . H .
Blood groups in India. E , W . E. M aefarlane an d S. S. Sarkar (Amer. J . phys. A nthrop., 1941, 28, 397— 410).—D a ta were obtained from 2120 in d iv id u als from 12 aboriginal tribes. P an iy an s an d Oraons stand alone w ith high an d low vals. for p respectively and only P an iy an s a n d C henchus have less of group B th a n of group A . B lood gro u p d a ta to g eth er w ith physical m easurem ents indicate a relatio n sh ip betw een th e P aniyans, K anikkars, and Chenchus of so u th In d ia an d the Mal£r of B ihar. Oraons show some sim ilarity serologically w ith K anikkars. T here is g reat v ari
ation in blood group d istrib u tio n in th e different Maldr villages.
The Maria G onds serologically resemble th e Santals, M undas, an d related Bagdis. B hils a n d K orkus h av e v e ry high % of B an d A B . There is an increase in th e frequencies of A a n d B from th e south northward a n d in B a n d A B from east to w est across c en tral India.
It is suggested t h a t th ere m ay h av e been tw o original racial stocks, one resembling th e P a n iy a n o r Miller, w ith little B , and the o th er resembling th e O raons w ith little A a n d p le n ty of B . W , F. H .
Artifacts in hum an and seal skulls from Kodiak island. A.
HrdliSka (A m er. J . ph ys. A nthrop., 1941, 28, 411— 421).-—L arge bilateral a n d sym m etrical defccts in th e roof of th e orb its of a normal fem ale P re-K o n iag skull are described. I t is suggested that th ey a re due to o p erativ e interference m an y y ears before death. A th in p ro b a b ly bo n y p la te on each side served as a sto p p er against b rain p ro tru sio n . An exam ination of m an y tem p o ral bones of the seal rev ealed t h a t th e Pre-K oniags a n d also th e K oniags opened th e m iddlo e ar a n d rem oved th e ossicles d uring th e life of the anim al. T his p ra ctic e is discussed in relation to seal hun tin g .
1 W . F. H.
IV.— CYTOLOGY, HISTOLOGY, AND TISSUE CULTURE.
Cell contours in proximal tubule in cat and dog nephron. J. J.
Foote an d A. L. Grafflin (Amer. J . A n a l., 1942, 70, 1—-20).—The transition betw een th e segm ents in th e c a t a n d dog is a b ru p t. In both the cells of th e first segm ent a re m ark ed ly irreg u lar in shape and in te rd ig itate in m ark ed degree. Cell co n to u rs are m ore com plicated a t th e lum en a n d less so a t th e b asem en t m em brane and generally m o re irreg u lar in th e dog th a n in th e c a t. Cells tow ards the lumen in th e second segm ent of b o th species are m ostly re cti
linear b u t th is c h ara cte r is lost to w ard s th e b asem ent m em brane )'bere th e cells ex h ib it m ark ed in te rd ig itatio n . F a t d istrib u tio n in the tw o segm ents is ch aracteristic ; in th e c a t th e first segm ent is normally fa t-lad e n a n d th e term in al po rtio n fat-free, w h ilst in th e
<log th e reverse is th e case. T h e ch ara cte ristic cell ty p es in th e two species a re e n tirely in d ep en d en t of th e presence o r absence of
fat deposit. W . F . H.
Co-ordination of vertebrate m elanophore responses. L. H . W aring {Biol. Rev., 1942, 17, 120— 150).—A review. J . D. B.
Heterochromatin in Triton. H . G. Callan (Proc. R oy. Soc., 1942,
». 130, 324— 335).— W hen su b jected to low tem p ., certain segm ents of the chrom osom es of T . vulgaris, T . palm atus, a n d T . cristatus we heterochrom atic. A t m itosis, th ese segm ents are undercharged, and a t m eiosis uncharged, w ith nucleic acid. T hese segm ents,
*Mch show th e sam e ty p e of allocyclic b eh av io u r as do sim ilar
^gments in P aris, T rilliu m , a n d F ritillaria, form F eulgen-positive '-iromocentres in all difluse nuclei ex cep tin g pach y ten e, w hich is 'liffuse in Triton. T h e a v ailab ility of nucleic acid a t th e stage
"hen th e chrom osom es norm ally spiralise is show n to b e a condition th at sp iralisation. T h e diffuse p a ch y ten e w ith o u t chrom ocentres 15 followed b y m eiosis w ith unspiralised h etero ch ro m atin , "whilst th e Effuse restin g nucleus w ith chrom ocentres is followed b y m itosis
"ith sp iralised h etero ch ro m atin . H etero ch ro m atin is generally confined to th o se p a r ts of chrom osom es w here c h ia sm ata an d
crossing-over ra re ly occur. F . O. H .
Üse of dark-fleld illu m in a tio n for the study of stained blood
™ms. P. H . R a lp h (Slain Tech., 1942, 17, 7— 10).— D ark-field
“lumination gives a g re a te r ran g e of size, re fra c tiv ity , an d colour
°f stru ctu res som e of w hich a re invisible u n d e r light-field illum in- ation. T h is fa cilitate s d e ta ile d d ifferen tiatio n of cell ty p e s ; a standard colour n o m en clatu re should b e used. E . E . H .
Staining invertebrate blood fo llo w in g Maximow’s osmic acid
“ration. E . L ieb m an n (Stain Tech., 1942, 17, 31— 32).— W rig h t’s or L eishm ann’s sta in c a n b e used if a cid u lated (acetic) alcohol is
Used for differentiation. E . E . H.
Iron hæmatoxylin staining ol salivary gland chromosomes of Drosophila. L. E . Griffin an d A. M. M cQuarrie (Stain Tech., 1942, 17, 41— 42).— F ull d etails of a m odification of B a u er's m eth o d a re
given. E . E . H .
Flagella staining of anaerobic bacilli. E. O 'Toole (Stain Tech., 1942, 17, 33— 40).— D etails a re given of slight m odifications in th e a p p licatio n of B ailey’s flagella stain . E. E . H.
Microchemical reaction for cellulose.— See A., 1942, II, 167.
Y.— BLOOD AND LYMPH.
Unusual reticulocytosis in untreated pernicious anæmia. W . T.
Cooke (Brit. M ed, / . , 1941, I I , 806— 807).— A w om an aged 30, w ith p cm icious anæ m ia, showed a reticulocytosis of 33% before tr e a t
m ent. L iv er e x tra c t restores th e norm al blood p ictu re. C. A. K.
Quantitative treatment of pernicious anæmia. J. M. A skey ( / . A m er. M ed. Assoc., 1941, 117, 907— 910).— S tudies in 19 cases of peril icious anæ m ia show ed t h a t m assive in itia l in jections of liver c x tra c t (150—-100 U .S .P . hæ m opoietic units) produced sa tisfac to ry clinical, hæ m atological, a n d neurological responses w hich laste d for several m onths. I t is suggested t h a t a single m assive dose should be given to sto ck th e liver w ith hæ m opoietic principle, w ith m o n th ly
m ain ten an ce in jections to follow. C. A. K .
Macrocytic anæ m ia following gastro-enterostomy. N , S. G ordon a n d J . J a p a (B rit. M ed. 1941, I I , 769— 770).— Two cases arc
rep o rted . C. A. K .
Hyperchromie anæmia in an infant. L. Cole (Lancet, 1941, 241, 759— 760).— A single in jectio n of anahæ m in produced com plete clinical a n d hæ m atological recovery in an in fa n t of 3 w eeks w ith
hyperchrom ic anæ m ia. C. A. K.
Macrocytic anæ m ia in pregnant women on Gold Coast. B. A. S.
Russell (Lancet, 1941, 241, 792— 794)..— 100 severe cases of m acro
cy tic anæ m ia in p re g n an t w om en on th e Gold C oast a re described.
In b o th tre a te d a n d u n tre a te d cases th ere is a ten d e n cy to p re m a tu re lab o u r w ith stillb irth o r d e ath of th e in fa n t in th e 1st w eek of life.
T h e m ate rn a l m o rta lity is high in u n tre a te d cases. L iver t r e a t m en t, p referab ly b y injection o f e x tra c t, w as -very successful an d reduced th e m o rta lity ra te to 5 % . C. A. K.
Pseudo-polycythæmia. F . A. B assen and H . A. Abel (J. M t.
S in a i H osp., 1940, 6, 322— 326).— R e p o rt of 2 cases. E. M. J . Acetylphenylhydrazine [pyiodin] anæm ia. Mechanism of erythro
cyte destruction and regeneration. W . O. Cruz (A mer. J . med. Sci., 1941, 202, 781— 797).— A d m in istratio n of p y ro d in p roduces sim ilar d estru ctio n a n d regeneration of e ry th ro c y te s in norm al, splenectom - ised, renal fistula dogs an d those w ith Severe hypochrom ic anæ m ia.
In dogs o r ra b b its all red blood cells o th e r th a n reticulocytes are d am aged 24 h r. a fte r injection of pyro d in , as show n b y th e presence of H einz bodies in th e cells an d increased frag ility . D am aged cells d isa p p ea r progressively a n d com pletely from th e blood stre am in 12 d ay s a fte r beginning th e poiso n in g ,-as show n b y m orphological e x am in atio n , n o rm al b eh av io u r to w a rd s h y p o to n ic sa lt solution, a n d d isap p earan ce of th e tu r b id ity of d istilled w a te r due to in so lubility of H einz bodies. T h e doses of p y ro d in em ployed d id n o t cause hæm olysis. A nim als a t different stag es o f th e in to x ic atio n show ed large am o u n ts of F e p ig m en t a n d som e ery th ro p h ag o cy to sis in th e spleen, liver, a n d bone m arrow . R egeneration begins 3— 4 d ay s following in to x ic atio n a n d is m a in tain ed for 10— 15 d a y s a t a high ra te , p u ttin g in to circu latio n 0-3 million re d cells p e r cu. m m.
daily. T h e m ean corp u scu lar vol. of reticu lo cy tes w as double t h a t of a d u lt ery th ro c y te s. D ogs w ith severe m icrocytic, hypochrom ic an æ m ia could p roduce reticu lo cy tes w ith n orm al m ean corpuscular vol. co n tain in g n orm al a m o u n t of hæm oglobin d u rin g reg en eratio n a fte r p y ro d in anæ m ia, b u t m icrocytosis re tu rn e d a fte r som e tim e . If all ery th ro c y te s leav in g th e bone narrow a re reticulocytes, th e n p y ro d in p araly ses th e m a tu ratio n of reticulocytes to norm al a d u lt
ery th ro c y te s. C. J . C. B.
Anæm ia of flexed-tailed mice (M us musculus, L.). I. Static and dynamic hæmatology. H . G riineberg (J. Genet., 1942, 43, 45— 08).
— In th e an æ m ia described th e m ean cell size is n orm al b u t th e m ean corp u scu lar hæ m oglobin corlcn. is reduced (norm ocytic h y p o chrom ic). T h e p athological process is lim ited to th e em b ry o n ic m ode of haemopoiesis w hich persists d u rin g th e first 2 w eeks a fte r b irth b u t ceases a t th e b eginning of th e 3rd w eek. P athological cells survive in th e circu latio n u p to 6 w eeks an d w ith th e ir dis
ap p earan ce th e blood p ictu re becom es norm al. Cells of in te r m ed iate g rades of a b n o rm a lity are fou n d d u rin g th e tran s itio n period. T h e anæ m ia behaves as a stra ig h tfo rw a rd recessive c h a r
a c te r a n d precedes th e d evelopm ent o f th e ta il anom alies in tim e.
All flexed-tailed m ice w ere anæ niic a t b irth a n d it a p p ea rs t h a t b o th an æ m ia a n d ta il flexures a re d u e to a single gene ra th e r th a n to th e actio n of tw o closely lin k ed genes. W . F . H .
Intra-group hæmolytic transfusion reaction due to RJt agglutinogen as result of isoimmunisation in pregnancy. M. D. M ayer a n d P . Vogel (J. M l. S in a i H osp., 1941, 8, 300— 304).— Case re p o rt. E . M. J .
367 A ., I II.— v , BLOOD A N D LY M PH . 368 Pathogenesis o! erythroblastosis to ta lis : absence of R h factor
from saliva. P . L evine a n d E , M. K a tz in (Proc. Soc. E x p . B iol.
M ed., 1941, 48, 120— 129).— Serum of a w om an w ho h a d recen tly given b irth to a child w ith ery th ro b lasto sis w as anti-jRA, b u t w hen m ixed w ith saliv a a n d te s te d on R h -|- red cells, it gave th e sam e re su lt w h e th er th e saliv a cam e from if /i- f o r R h — su b jects, in d ic a t
ing t h a t R h facto r, u n lik e A a n d B factors, is n o t secreted b y the
saliv ary g lands. V. J . W.
Agglutinin-inhibiting substance in human serum. E . F . A ubert, K . E . B oorm an, a n d B . E . D odd (J. P ath. B a d ., 1942, 54, 89— 103).
— T h e group-sp. su b stan ces A a n d B a re p re s e n t in b o th seru m an d p lasm a. T h is h ad been d e m o n stra ted b y sp. in h ib itio n of iso agg lu tin in s a n d b y sp. iso-agglutinin p ro d u c tio n in guinea-pigs a n d h u m an volu n teers. T h e agglutinogen c o n te n t o f seru m a n d p lasm a is im p o rta n t a s a p o te n tia l n e u tra lis er in vivo of th e iso-agglutinins in tran sfu sed blood, plasm a, or seru m a n d as a n e u tra lis er in vitro of th ese iso -agglutinins b y su itab le pooling of seru m a n d p lasm a.
C. J . C. B.
Reliable technique for diagnosis of A B o blood groups. G. L.
T aylor, R . R . R ace, A. M. P rio r, a n d E . W . Ik in ( / , P ath. B a d ., 1942, 54, 81— 87).— T h e cells a re exam ined fo r agglutinogens a n d la te r th e a g g lu tin in c o n te n t of th e serum is d e te rm in e d ; te s ts a re m ad e in tu b e s a n d no re ac tio n is recorded as n eg ativ e w ith o u t a
m icroscopical e x am in atio n . C. J . C. B .
Sedimentation o! washed red blood-cells. R . B . W h ittin g to n (Phil. M ag., 1942, [vii], 33, 68— 76).— T h e drag-coefls. of h u m an e ry th ro c y te s suspended in salin e w ere calc, fro m o b serv atio n s on suspensions in w hich th e p ro p o rtio n of e ry th ro c y te s w as v a rie d in order- to give v a ry in g vals. of th e effective viscosity, calc, b y H ess' form ula. B y p lo ttin g lo g arith m ically th e drag-coeffs. a g a in st th e R ey n o ld s nos. a solution w as o b tain e d w h ereb y th e m ax . velocities of th e ery th ro c y te s w ere calc. T hese v elocities w ere less th a n th o se o b tain e d b y S to k e ’s fo rm u la for spherical bodies, b u t w ith increased v elo city th e d iscrep an cy becam e less, p ro b a b ly due to in creased elastic d efo rm atio n of th e cells. F . S.
Effect of acetylsalicylie acid on sedimentation rate of erythrocytes in rheumatic fever. J . A. L ic h ty , ju n ., a n d S. P . H o o k er (Proc.
Soc. E x p . B iol. M ed., 1941, 48, 69— 70).— I n 7 p a tie n ts w ith a c u te rh e u m a tism th e se d im e n tatio n r a te rose to n e arly th e p re -tre a tm e n t level w hen a d m in istratio n of acetylsalicyiic a cid w as sto p p ed .
V. J . W . Photo-electric method of determining haemoglobin. D . K . H ill a n d A. C. P in co ck (Lancet, 1941, 241, 754— 755).— T h e haemoglobin c o n te n t can be acc u rate ly d e te rm in e d b y a pho to -electric m eth o d in w hich th e ab so rp tio n of t h e g reen lig h t b y th e p ig m e n t is m easured b y m eans of a v ac. p h otocell in c o n ju n ctio n w ith a L in d em an n e lectro m eter. R e p e a te d d e te rm in a tio n s o n sam ples o f o x alated b lood show ed a s ta n d a rd e rro r o f 0-4% . C. A. K .
March heemoglobinuria. D . R . Gilligan a n d H . L. B lu m g a rt (M edicine, 1941, 20, 341— 395).— A review a n d re p o rt of 3 new cases.
E . M. J . Significance of porphyrinuria in [anosmia of] lead poisoning. R . K a rk a n d A. P . M erklejohn (J . d in . Invest., 1942, 21, 91— 99).—
In jec tio n of solutions of haemoglobin (7— 8 g.) in to 2 su b je cts w ith P b poisoning, anaemia, a n d p o rp h y rin u ria w as follow ed b y a rise in plasm a-b iliru b in (resem bling in degree a n d tim e th e bilirubinaem ia fo u n d in n o rm al su b je cts u n d e r co m p arab le conditions) a n d a tra n s ie n t increase in u rin a ry u ro bilinogen ex cretio n . T h ere w as no increas« in excretion of co p ro p o rp h y rin in u rin e o r faeces. Anremia o f P b poiso n in g is p ro b a b ly dyshacm atopoietic r a th e r th a n hasmolytic
in n a tu re . C. J . C. B.
Acquired immunity to blood transfusion reactions. J . J . W olfe an d C. E . D as G u p ta (B rit. M ed. J ., 1941, I I , 807— 808).— I n 12 cases im m e d ia te n o n -h * m o ly tic re ac tio n s occurred d u rin g blood tran sfu sio n (11 w ere group £ ) . In all cases, a fte r a d elay of 3— 22 h r., d u rin g w hich cross-ag g lu tin atio n w as checked, th e tran sfu sio n w as co m p leted w ith o u t f u rth e r re ac tio n s. I t is suggested t h a t th e first tran sfu sio n p ro d u ced d esen sitisatio n to a n u n k n o w n an tig en .
C. A. K . In vivo test of value of stored blood. P . L. M ollison a n d I. M.
Y o u n g (B rit. M ed. J ., 1941, I I , 797— 800).— S tu d ies o n blood p re served w ith different solutions show ed t h a t in vitro te s ts of red cell changes, e.g., sp o n tan eo u s haemolysis, m echanical frag ility , a n d osm otic frag ility , b e a r little relatio n to tim e o f su rv iv al in vivo.
T h ere is evidence t h a t cells show ing in creased osm otic frag ility in vitro a re resto red to n o rm al a fte r tran sfu sio n , o r w h en m ixed w ith fresh co m p atib le p la s m a in vitro for 1 h r. C. A. K .
Human blood plasma and serum. Council on P h a rm a c y a n d C h em istry (J. A m er. M ed. Assoc., 1941, 117, 934— 935).— A review .
C. A, K . Flask for separating serum from blood. F . E . H olm es a n d B.
J o h n s o n (In d . Eng. Chem. [Anal.], 1942, 14, 62).— A n o u tle t tu b e is fused in th e base rim of a n E rlen m ey er flask, a n d to th e b o tto m of th e flask a re sealed, on th e inside, a no. o f glass pegs " g u ard in g ” th e o u tle t. T h e clo t vihich form s on keep in g c o n tra c ts aro u n d th e
pegs, a n d clear serum free from cells o r haemoglobin is drawu from
th e o u tle t tu b e . J. D. R.
Concentrated red cell suspensions in ansemia. G. E. O. Williams a n d T. B . D avie (B rit. M ed. J ., 1941, I I , 641— 644).—Red ceil suspensions w ere p re p are d from c itra te d blood stored for 1 week.
P lasm a w'as rem oved a n d th e conc. re d cell suspension which rem ain ed c o n tain ed 8-5 m illion re d cells p e r cu. mm., 150% hemo
globin (H aldane), 3000 w h ite cells p e r cu. m m ., an d corpuscular vol.
of 85% . S a tisfac to ry clinical re su lts of 77 transfusions in Cl p a tie n ts are recorded in cases of post-haem orrhagic anaemias, anaemias w ith severe in fectio n , a n d p re g n a n c y an d dyshamiopoietic anaemias. R eactio n s occurred in 20% of cases, th e high incidence bein g a ttr ib u te d to difficulties in g e ttin g sterile w ater owing to air
raids. C. A. K,
Clotting and filtration of citrated plasma. M. Maizels (I.ancd, 1941, 241, 722— 726).—T h e a m o u n t of Ca req u ired to clot mixtures of v a ry in g p ro p o rtio n s of c itra te d p lasm a a n d serum was studied.
5 vols. of serum alo n e c lo t 1 vol. of p lasm a, a n d 60 mg. of Ca per 100 c.c. alo n e is effective, b u t to g e th e r c lo ttin g m ay occur when 19 m g. of Ca p e r 100 c.c. is a d d ed to a m ix tu re of 1 vol. of serum g- 1-5 vol. of p lasm a. T h is econom ises th e a m o u n t of serum used, a n d avoids w h a t m ig h t b e to x ic concns. of Ca. C itrated plasma m a y also b e clo tted b y dialysis ag ain st 2-75 vols. of saline containing 15 mg. of Ca p e r 100 c.c., b u t th e loss of cry stallo id s a n d th e problem of asepsis m ay m ak e th is a difficult m eth o d to apply. la the absence o f serum 0'34mM-Ca++ p e r 1. is req u ired to clot plasma', in th e presence of a sm all a m o u n t of serum 0-28mM-Ca++ per 1. is req u ired , b u t larg er a m o u n ts of serum do n o t produce a corre
sp o nding fall in th e Ca needed. C. A. K.
Organisation of blood bank at Mount Sinai Hospital. N. Fos®' th a l, L. R . W asserm an, H . Abel, F . B assen, a n d P . Vogel (J- • S in a i H osp., 1941, 8, 210— 231).— O b serv atio n s a n d results from
J u n e , 1938, to Ju n e , 1940. E. M. J-
Use of chilled blood, blood plasma, and serum. T. H . Seldon and J . T. P rie stle y (M innesota M ed., 1942, 25, 28— 31).—A rc^ ej j ' j
Preparation of desiccated hum an plasma by mass production methods. J . M. H ill ( N tV . Sta. J . M ed., 1941, 41, 1537— 1542).-A
review . E. M. J-
Plasm a therapy. D . N . Silverm an a n d R . A. K a tz (New Orleans M ed. J ., 1941, 93, 178— 182).— A review a n d re p o rt of 3 cases.
E. M. J.
Effect of surface-tension depressants on certain serological systems.
L. F . H olm es (Y a le J . B iol. M ed., 1941, 14, 1 5 5—1 7 5).— Na oleate, N a ricinoleate, a n d 3 esters, Aerosol O .T ., Aerosol O.S., and lau ry l su lp h ate, in h ib ite d th e p re cip itin re ac tio n s of s e r u m - p r o t e i n s
a n d b a c te ria w ith th e ir an tise ra. A n o th e r ester, cetylpyridinrani brom ide, c au sed non-sp. p p tn . of s e ru m ; octyl, hexyl, and butyl alcohols h a d no effect. Is a la u ry l s u lp h a te in h ib ite d b y increasing th e n eg ativ e ch arg e on th e a n tig e n w hereas c ety lp y rid in iu m bromide decreased th e charge, th u s p ro m o tin g in sta b ility . T h e latter ester ionises w ith its org. h y d ro p h o b ic p o rtio n a s c atio n whereas co®‘
p o u n d s increasing a n tig e n s ta b ility ionise w ith th e ir n o n - p o l a r org.
p o rtio n a s an io n . T herefore th es e su rface-activ e a g en ts acted by form ing hig h ly ad so rb ed ions a n d th e alcohols w ere in ac tiv e because th e y do n o t io n is e ; th e ir b eh av io u r in im m unological system s can
n o t b e co rrelated w ith th e ir p robable a ctio n on in te rfa c ia l tension.
* F. S.
Application of falling-drop method for specific gravity measure*
ment to determination of serum-albumin. P . H . B a rb o u r (Yalt J- B iol. M ed., 1941, 14, 107— 114).— Sam ples o f 'o n l y 1-0 c.c. a«
n ecessary a n d (N H t )tS 0 4 fo r p p tn . o f globulin is th e only r e a g e n t
needed. ' V als. differ fro m corresponding vals. b y th e Hovre- K jeld ah l m eth o d b y a s ta n d a rd d e v ia tio n of ± 0 -3 2 g .-% . F. S.
Electrophoretic measurements on normal hum an plasma. D. H.
M oore a n d J . L y n n (J. B iol. Chem., 1941, 141, 8 1 9—8 2 5).— Electro
p h o re tic d a ta a re given fo r 12 n o rm al h u m a n p lasm as, a n d p re v io u s d a ta a re sum m arised. A new , sm all, h ig h ly m obile c o m p o n e n t is re p o rte d ; i t occurs in th e p resence of b a rb itu ra te b uffer and is p ro b a b ly a n association com plex. R . L. E.
Electrophoretic properties of serum-proteins. I. Normal horse pseudoglobulin 0 1 . D , G. S h arp , G. R . Cooper, a n d H . N e u r a t h
(J. B iol. Chem.. 1942, 142, 203— 2 1 6 ; cf. A., 1941, I I I , 532, 968).
— E lectrophoresis of a pseudoglobulin fractio n o f n o rm al horse serum , p p td . b y 1-1— 1-36m-(NH4)sS 0 4 a t p a 6-4, is determ ined in th e T iselius a p p a ra tu s w ith th e Svensson o p tic a l system . p ro te in pseudoglobulin G1 m ig rates w ith a single b o u n d a ry over th e p n range 4-3— 7-6, a n d th e ^ - m o b i l i t y curve is closely r e l a t e d
to t h a t of th e y-globulin fractio n iso lated b y T iselius. T h e degre®
o f reversible b o u n d a ry sp read in g a s expressed in te rm s of tie h e tero g en eity const. H is large co m p ared w ith t h a t of serum- alb u m in . Vals. of I I a re in d ep e n d en t of p a betw een 7’6 an d 5-5, a n d decrease below 5-5. T h e electro p h o retic p a tte rn of th e globulin rev ersib ly d e n a tu re d fro m 5M-urea is sim ilar to t h a t o f native p ro tein , b u t m obilities a re h igher o n th e acid side a n d low er o n tbs alk alin e side of th e isoelectric p o in t. T h e h ig h degree of r e v e r s i b l e
A ., I I I . — v , B L O O D A N D L Y M P H . 3 7 0 boundary spread show n b y pseudoglobulin G1 as well as by th e
globulin com ponents of w hole horse serum m ay be due to a con
tinuous gradation in th e electrophoretic properties of th e globulin
nils. J .N .'A .
Plasma-albumin, -globulin, and -fibrinogen in healthy individuals from birth to adulthood. V. T revorrow , M. K aser, J . P. P atterso n , and R. M. H ill ( / . Lab. clin. Med.. 1942, 27, 471— 485).—
568 analyses of plasm a-alb u m in , -globulin, an d -fibrinogen w e r e made on 547 h e a lth y persons from b irth to 39 years of age. lh e protein fractions w ere se p a ra ted b y salting-out w ith N a ,S 04 an d analysed b y a m icro-K jeldahl procedure. T he plasm a-album in concn. in persons over 3 y e ars of age is higher in th e w in ter th an in the summer m o n th s. T h is seasonal v ariation does n o t a p p ear in other fractions. In persons over 5 years of age, th e plasm a-fibrinogen is higher in fem ales th a n in males. In norm al persons th e album in, globulin, an d fibrinogen v a ry independently. N o correlation has been found betw een a n y of th e protein concns. an d th e tim e elapsing after the ingestion o f food. T here is no correlation betw een a n y of the protein concns. a n d th e height, w t., or body surface of the
individuals. C. J . C. B.
Method for detecting in human serum protective bodies against hffimolytic streptococci. H . VV. Diefendorf (Proc. Soc. h x p . Biol.
Med., 1941, 48, 56— 00).— Serum of p a tie n ts recovering from rheu
matic or scarlet fever, ad m in istered to m ice, increased th e 50 ¡0 mortality dose of liacmolytic streptococci. V. J . v \.
Preservation of liquid complement serum. G. M. R ichardson {Lancet, 1941, 241, 096— 097).—T he preservation of com plem ent activity of h y p e rto n ic guinea-pig serum is b e st a tta in e d w hen th e Pa is 0 (at room tem p.) o r 6-4 (at 0— 3°); N a azide is th e b e st dis
infectant. T h e tec h n iq u e of p rep , is described. C. A. is..
Haemophilia-like disease in swine. A. G. H ogan, M. E . M uhrer, and R. B o g art (Proc. Soc. E xp . Biol. M ed., 1941, 48, 217 2 19)*
The affected an im als are said to be " closely related, an d the condition to b e d u e to a n ab n o rm al s ta b ility of th e platelets^ ^
Haemorrhage control in Eimeria tenella infected chicks when pro
tected by vitamin-AT. F . M. B aldw in, O. B. Wiswell, an d H . A.
Jankiewicz (Proc. Soc. E xp . Biol. M ed. 1941, 48, 278 ^ of 10 chicks w hich received 6000 oocysts 7 died. O u t of a n o th e r 10 which received t h e sam e infection, w ith 317 A lm quist u n its of vitamin-ii on 4 succeeding d a y s ,l died. \ . J . W .
Present status of vitamin-A." therapy. S. S. L ich tm an a n d J . H . Garlock (J. M t. S in a i H osp., 1941, 8, 76— 83). E . M. j .
Clinical usefulness of vitamin-A' analogues. A. M. Snell (J. M t.
Sinai Hosp., 1941, 8, 67— 75).— A review. b~ M. J.
Behaviour of plasma-prothrombin in pneumonia. L. M. T o cantins and W. A. H a u se (Amer. J . clin. Path., 1941, 11, 849— 856).— I n 31 patients h v p o p ro th ro m b in an n ia w as alw ays p resen t in pneum onia especially d u rin g th e first stag es of th e disease, due p ro b ab ly to a disturbance in h e p a tic fu n c tio n ; i t m a y acco u n t fo r th e d e la te d coagulability a n d th e haem orrhagic m an ifestatio n s of pneum onia.
Onlv 2 o u t of 6 hypoprothrom binaem ic p a tie n ts w ith pneum onia treated w ith a sy n th e tic vitam in-A ' su b s titu te responded.^ ^ ^
Blood coagulation. W . H . Howell J . A m er. M ed. Assoc., 19^1.
117, 1059— 1062).— A review. u A - K -
Liberation of heparin by trypsin. M. Rochj1 f . Dragstedt (Proc. Soc. E xp . B iol. M ed., 1941, 48, 15 -— 155).
'•enous in jections of 1— 2 mg. p e r kg. of try p sin in to dogs, o r .j—
p er kg. in to ra b b its, causes incoagulability of th e b looa. I m s does n o t occur in vitro a n d is abolished b y a d d itio n of p ro tam in e.
Use of heparin in vascular thrombosis. W . H . G illentine (New Orleans Med. J ., 1941, 93, 169— 173).— Case rep o rt. E , fii. J.
Therapeutic problems in water balance [in surgery]. U . Maes and H. A. D av is (New Orleans M ed. J ., 1941, 93, 207 211).— A r e v i e w .
Clinical aspects of leukaem ia. E. B. R eed (Nebraska Sta. M ed.
J : 1941, 26, 429—433).— R e p o rt of 40 cases. t . M. J . Acid-base balance of premature infants. W . S. B ran n in g (J. clin.
invest., 1942, 2 1, 101— 104).— T he p lasm a c o n te n t of org. acids ot p rem atu re in fa n ts w as 2 — 3 tim es a s g reat as t h a t of th e full- term in fa n t a n d th e a d u l t ; th is is n o t due to keto n ic com pounds.
Prem ature in fa n ts e x creted 2— 5 tim es th e n orm al a d u lt a m o u n t
°t org. acid p e r kg. b o d y -w t. p e r d ay . T h e org. acid a n d CO, contents of p lasm a of clinically acid o tic (hyperpnoeic) p rem atu re infants differ little from those of in fa n ts w ho are clinically th r iv in g ; the p re m a tu re in fa n t is th u s alw ays on th e borderline of acidosis.
C. J . C. B.
Analysis of divinyl ether in blood. W . L . R uigh (Ind. Eng. Chem.
[4nal.], 1942, 14, 32— 34).— Org, v a p o u rs a re draw n in a stre am of a>r, purified o v er h o t CuO, o v er a c a ta ly s t of I2O s su p p o rte d on Pumice a t 200°. T h e org. m ate ria l is oxidised q u a n tita tiv e ly to cO, an d H jO , w ith sto icheiom etric lib e ratio n of I. T h e blood containing d ivinyl e th e r is a e ra te d a t 45° in th e a p p a ra tu s described
a n d th e e th e r determ in ed b y titra tio n of I released w ith 0 0 1n- N a sSjOj. A correction facto r of 100/95 is used. J . D . R .
Disappearance of radioactive phosphorus from heart blood of Limulus polyphemus. W . H . Cole an d W . L . N a stu k (Proc. Soc.
E xp . B iol. M ed., 1941, 48, 151— 152).—0 1— 0-2 m l. of 0-00Im- N a 2H P 0 4 w as in je c te d in to th e h e a rt a n d blood concn. of P d e te r
m ined a t in te rv als. In 10 individuals, log of concn. of activ e P in blood w as inversely p ro p o rtio n al to tim e. A fter 1 h r. 97-6% h ad
d isap p eared from th e blood. V. J . W .
Effect of radio-phosphorus on blood of monkeys. K . G. S co tt a n d J . H . I.aw rence (Proc. Soc. E xp . Biol. M ed., 1941, 48, 155— 158).—■
In trap e rito n e al injection of ” P as p h o sp h a te caused decreases in red cell, lym phocyte, a n d g ran u lo cy te counts, th e red cell effect being th e least. 1-04 m illicuries p e r lb. w as fa ta l, b u t 0-76 was
to le rate d . V. J . W .
Effect of hyperthermia on vitamin-C in blood plasma. H . G.
R a p a p o rt (J. M t. S in a i Hosp., 1939, 6, 89—92). E . M. J.
Meat extractives and non-protein-nitrogen of blood. E . M ylon an d M. C. W in tc m itz (Yale J . B iol. M ed., 1941, 14, 183— 188).—
W hen raw beef (650 g.) w as fed to dogs th e non-p ro tein -N of th e blood n e arly d oubled in 4— 12 h r. a n d re tu rn e d to n orm al w ith in 24 hr. W hen th e equiv. a m o u n t of boiled m ea t from w hich th e e x tra ctiv es h a d been expressed w as fed, th e rise in non-protein-N w as double t h a t a fte r raw feeding a n d re tu rn e d to n orm al a t 48 hr.
If th e e x tra ctiv es w ere ad d ed to th e boiled expressed m eat, th e blood-non-protein-N beh av ed as a fte r raw m eat. I t is suggested t h a t u tilisatio n (deam ination o r synthesis) of th e p ro tein cleavage p ro d u cts is b e tte r in th e presence of th e m ea t e x tractiv es. F . S.
[B lood-jnon-protein-nitrogen in jaundice. K . A. M eyer, H . P o p p er, a n d F , Steigm ann (J. Am er. M ed. Assoc., 1941, 117, 847—
8 5 0),— A rise of blood-non-protein-N in a case of jau n d ice ind icates increased sev erity of p aren ch y m ato u s involvem ent. S tu d ies of c re a tin in e a n d u re a clearances in such cases show ed t h a t th is rise w as due p a r tly to dim inished glom erular filtratio n b u t m ore to increased reab so rp tio n of u re a in th e k id n ey tubules, a n d th ere w as no evidence of increased breakdow n of p ro tein in th e body.
C. A.. K.
Effect of castration and sex hormones on blood of rat. P . S tein- glass A. S. G ordon, an d H . A. C haripper (Proc. Soc. E xp . B iol.
M ed., 1941, 48, 169— 177).— R ed cell a n d ha:m oglobin vals. a re h igher in m ales th a n fem ales. C astratio n lowers th em in m ales arid raises th em in fem ales, b u t th e y a re b ro u g h t b ack to norm al b y in jections of testo stero n e a n d cestradiol respectively. F ro m th e bone m arrow it a p p ea rs t h a t an d ro g en s stim u la te a n d cestrogens
in h ib it red cell form atio n . V. J- w -
Spectrum-analytical studies on magnesium content of blood j n various diseases. E . Z im m er (Spectrochim. A cta, 1939, 1, 93 10/).
T h e physiological a n d pharm acological fu n ctio n s of Mg are d is
cussed ; th e chem ical d e te rm in a tio n of blood-M g a n d its th e ra p e u tic significance a re review ed. In th e m eth o d described 0-1 c.c. of blood is d ilu te d w ith 0-2 c.c. of 0-9% aq . NaCl, c o n tain in g a trac e of K H 4 o x alate to in h ib it co ag u latio n ; 0-1 c.c. of th e liq u id is ap p lied to th e low er a rc electrode (anode), w ith 0T c.c. of 0-1%
aq* AuClj. T h e sp ectru m is th e n p h o to g rap h ed w ith a n in te r
m itte n t arc. T h e in ten sities of th e 2802 a n d 2795 a. Mg lines are th e n com pared p h o to m etrically w ith t h a t of th e 2676 a. A u line.
T h e a p p a ra tu s is c alib ra ted w ith aq. MgSO* (Mg 2— 5 m g.-% ).
Blood-M g vals. o b tain e d d irec tly from th e sp ectro g ram s a re high ow ing to in terferen ce b y a lb u m in ; d e te rm in a tio n s w ith ashed blood show t h a t th ese vals. m u st be m u ltip lie d b y 0-53 to give tru e blood-M g v als. co rrect to a b o u t 13% . Vals. of 3-4— 5-7 m g.- /a w ere found fo r 67 p a tie n ts w ith various diseases. In cases of severe anaemia o r cach ex ia in a n a d v an c ed stag e of disease vals. o f less th a n 4 m g .-% w ere o b serv ed ; otherw ise no v a ria tio n of th e ra
p eu tic val. w as d etected . A. J . E . \ \ .
Bis-o-am inobenzoyl-/-cystine [action on blood-sugar]. E . J- Fellow s and R . W . C unningham (Proc. Soc. E xp . B iol. M ed., 1941, 4 8, 410— 411).— T his com pound h a s n o hypoglycaemic a c tio n a n d does n o t affect glucose to leran ce in ra ts . V. J . W .
Nature of blood-iodine. S. Silver (J. M t. S in a i H osp., 1940, 7,
97— 98). E - M - J ;
Blood enzymes after ligation of all pancreatic dncts. H . L.
P o p p e r a n d H . H . S o rter (Proc. Soc. E x p . B iol. M ed., 1941, 48, 384__388).— T y ing th e p a n cre atic d u cts in 2 dogs w as follow ed b y a rise in blood-am ylase las tin g n o t m ore th a n a few d a y s an d secondary rises a t a b o u t 6 an d 12 weeks, a fte r w hich n o rm al vals. w ere o b tain ed . T h ere w as no increase of blood-lipase. V. J. W .
Relation of blood-lactic acid and -acetone bodies to uric acid in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. N . K . Schaffer, S. B. B ark er, \ \ H . Sum m erson, a n d H . J . S ta n d er (Proc. Soc. E x p . Biol. M ed., 1941, 48, 2 3 7__240).— A verage blood-uric acid in 7 cases of p re-eclam psia w as 4-5 m g .-% a s ag ain st 3 m g .-% in n o rm al pregnancies. B lood-lactic acid an d -ketone bodies w ere n o t sig n ifican tly raised, so t h a t th e increased uric acid c an n o t be d u e to increased lactic acid a s suggested b y Q uick (Physiol. Abs., 1935, 20, 850). V. J . W .
