316 RALPH S. LILLIE. 



growth, a fact of which practical use is made by horticulturists. 

 Increase in oxygen-consumption under the influence of chloro- 

 form and ether has been observed by Elfving and others; higher 

 concentrations decrease oxygen-consumption. 1 Demoor and 

 others have observed an acceleration of protoplasmic rotation in 

 plant cells during the early stages of chloroform and ether 

 narcosis; alcohol also causes this effect. 2 Traces of ether increase 

 the irritability of sensitive plants (Mimosa} ; 3 higher concentra- 

 tions cause typical anaesthesia. 4 



A probably related phenomenon is seen in certain artificial 

 modifications of response induced in various organisms by weak 

 solutions of anaesthetics. A striking instance is the reaction of 

 many lower animals to light. Loeb has found that Daphnice, 

 w r hich normally show little or no directive light-response, become 

 positively heliotropic in weak solutions of alcohol and other 

 narcotics, in concentrations of a third to a half of those required 

 for anaesthesia. 5 Similarly I have found that the larvae of the 

 marine annelid Arenicola, which normally exhibit strong positive 

 heliotropism, become negative in weak solutions of various 

 anaesthetic substances. Similar observations have been made 

 by Torrey, A. R. Moore, and other observers. 



The phenomenon of reversible decrease of activity or respon- 

 siveness is anaesthesia. The vital processes' subject to such 

 reversible arrest are of the most varied kind. They include 



1 Cf. Czapek, loc. oil., p. 159, for instances of this effect. Tashiro and Adams 

 (loc. cit.) cite observations of Kosinski showing that respiration in yeast cells is 

 increased in presence of 0.5 per cent, ether; 5 per cent, reduces respiration one half, 

 while 7 per cent, almost stops it. Baer and Meyerstein find increased oxidation 

 of oxy-butyric acid to acetone in the perfused liver under the influence of various 

 compounds which in higher concentrations check oxidations, e. g., tricholor-q^cohol, 

 p- and ra-oxy-benzoic acid, ^-oxy-benzaldehyde (cf. p. 458 of their paper in Arch, 

 exper. Path. u. Pharm., 1910, Vol. 63). 



Cf. the instances cited by Czapek, p. 161. H. Nothmann Zuckerkandl has 

 also observed this effect with low concentrations of alcohol and ether (cf. footnote 

 2, p. 317)- 



3 Personal communication from Professor J. M. Macfarlane, of the University 

 of Pennsylvania. 



4 Cf. Claude Bernard, "Lecons sur les phenomenes de la vie communs aux 

 animaux et vegetaux," Paris, 1878. Anaesthesia of plant-growth was also studied 

 by Bernard. 



'" J. Loeb, Biochem. Zcitschr., 1909, Vol. 23, p. 93. 



