THE ACTION OF ETHER ON PROTOPLASM. 47! 



ether the viscosity of the protoplasm is 53 per cent, of that of 

 the normal control eggs in sea-water. The viscosity of the eggs 

 in 3 per cent, ether is only 48 per cent, of that of the untreated 

 eggs. 



It must not be supposed that the viscosity of the protoplasm 

 of etherized eggs remains constant for long periods. In the 3 

 per cent, solution the viscosity became lower and lower until 

 finally a minimum was reached. Then a sudden coagulation 

 occurred. This is shown by a series of tests on eggs in 3 per cent, 

 ether (temp. 22.0). When these eggs were tested after an 

 exposure of 3 minutes it was found that centrifugal treatment for 

 15 seconds produced only a slight hyaline zone. The same 

 results were obtained after 6 and 10 minutes, but after an 

 exposure of 15 minutes, similar centrifugal treatment resulted in 

 the formation of a hyaline zone which extended along about 

 one third of the axis of the egg. After an exposure of 20 minutes 

 the same treatment resulted in a hyaline zone which filled nearly 

 half of the egg. On the other hand after 26 minutes when eggs 

 were centrifuged for 15 seconds, although some eggs showed a 

 hyaline zone extending through half of the egg, others showed 

 no movement of granules at all. The protoplasm in these eggs 

 is completely coagulated. Thus in 3 per cent, ether at 22 the 

 liquefaction of the protoplasm is soon followed by a solidification. 



The question may now be asked as to which of these two 

 conditions represents a condition of anesthesia. In my earlier 

 paper I had claimed that only the fluid state was anesthetic and 

 that gelation or coagulation following ether treatment resulted 

 only in death. But Chambers states that not the fluid but the 

 gel state is the anesthetic condition when eggs are subjected to 

 ether. On reading Chambers' statement I was at first led to 

 suppose that I had been mistaken in making my claim too 

 forcibly. I thought perhaps that although it was certain that 

 moderately long exposure to ether after coagulation had taken 

 place was lethal, nevertheless it might be true that Chambers 

 had removed the eggs immediately after coagulation had begun 

 and that in this instance the coagulative action of the ether 

 was reversible. 



The question was soon put to the test. In the experiment 



31 



