318 WILSON GEE 



practically as sluggish as immediately after the anemone had 

 expanded. At half past one o'clock of the same day, the ten- 

 tacles had recovered somewhat in their responsiveness to con- 

 tact stimulation, but did not show any response to food. When 

 pieces of oyster were placed over the mouth of the animal they 

 were slowly accepted. 



In another case, the solution was forced over only the disk 

 and the tentacj.es. This was done at twenty minutes past nine 

 in the morning and at noon the specimen had not expanded. 

 At one o'clock, however, the specimen was open, but the ten- 

 tacles persistently refused food, and hung entirely irresponsive 

 over the edge of the disk. The bladdery lobes of the stomo- 

 daeum were extruded around a piece of oyster placed over the 

 mouth opening and this food was taken into the gastrovascular 

 cavity. 



The specimens treated with mercuric chloride recovered most 

 slowly of all of the anemones experimented upon. The appli- 

 cations were made one Friday morning, and it was a week from 

 the following Monday before many of the specimens injected 

 would accept food given to them. On the third and fourth days 

 after injection, a heavy film of mucus was shed from the entire 

 surface of the body. Pavlov (1910) from his work on mucus 

 secretion in the stomach of the dog has the following to say in 

 regard to the excessive secretion of mucus in relation to the 

 economy of the organism: "When potent reagents such as 

 absolute alcohol, a 0.2 per cent sublimate solution, a ten per 

 cent solution of nitrate of silver, or a strong emulsion of oil 

 of mustard, were introduced for a few minutes into the small 

 stomach they produced a more or less copious, indeed in many 

 cases enormous secretion of mucus. * * * The contrast 

 between the intensity of the phenomenon and its short dura- 

 tion is really striking. One cannot help thinking that in these 

 cases a morbid condition has not as yet been established, but 

 rather that the pathogenic influence, had been successfully en- 

 countered and conquered before one's eyes." He suggests that 

 in this behavior the true function of the surface epithelium 

 has been revealed. Its copious secretions dilute the noxious 

 substance, or form chemical combinations with it and at the 

 same time expel it from the stomach wall. 



