Physiologie. 435 



Oelsäuren bezüglich ihres Verhaltens bei dieser Reaction näher 

 besprochen. 



Sehr beachtenswerth ist, dass sämmtliche untersuchten 

 Fette in den kleinsten Tröpfchen Sphaerite bilden. Die spätere 

 Mittheilung der Verff. deckt also auch bei der Verseifungs- 

 .methode Schwierigkeiten auf, die in der ersten Mittheilung noch 

 nicht zu Tage traten. 



Als Inhalt der ersteren Arbeit sei noch Folgendes hervor- 

 gehoben. Das angebliche fette Oel der Gentiana-Wl urzel ist ein 

 den Cholesterin-Fetten ähnliches Fett. Das fette Oel im 

 Fruchtfleisch der Olive entsteht nach Hart wich und Uhl- 

 mann von vornherein als solches im Plasma (nicht an be- 

 sonderen Stellen des Plasmas oder in „Oelbildnern"). Schliess- 

 lich sammelt sich das Oel immer mehr im Zellsaft an unter 

 Abnahme der kleinen Tröpfchen im Plasma. Die Hauptrolle 

 als ölbildender Stoff in der Olive kommt nach den Unter- 

 suchungen der Verff. der Glycose zu. 



M. Westermaier (Freiburg, Schweiz). 



Macfadyen, A. and Rowland, S., On the Suspension of 

 life at low temperatures. (Annais of Botany. Dec. 1902. 

 p. 589—590.) 



The authors have made experiments upon the effect of 

 very low temperatures on the vitality of various microbes, 

 subjecting cultures of them to the temperatures of liquid air 

 and later of liquid hydrogen. The astonishing result was reached 

 that this treatment caused no apparent impairment of their 

 vitality. On removal no change could he detected in their 

 behaviour, either as regards their growth or their, characteristic 

 physiological properties. The organisms examined included 

 various bacilli and a yeast and some of the experiments were 

 continued for six months. Reynolds-Green. 



Matthaei, G. L. C, The effect oftemperature on Carbon 

 dioxide assimilation. (Annais of Botany. December 

 1902. p. 591—593.) 



The authoress describes experiments, made upon leaves of 

 Prunus Laurocerasus, to ascertain the way in which the assimilation 

 of carbon-dioxide is affected by variations in temperature, the 

 leaves being carefully kept under similar conditions for some 

 time before being taken for experiment. Assimilation was 

 detected at — 6° C. and from this point up to 33° C. it was 

 found to be affected in exactly the same way as respiration. 

 With sufficient illumination assimilation increases as the tempe- 

 rature rises. Increased brilliancy of illumination beyond a 

 sufficient amount at any particiliar temperature does not increase 

 the fixation of carbon dioxide. Both the intensity of the 

 light and the amount of the gas present in the air are sub- 

 ordinate in importance to the temperature. At temperatures 



28* 



