286 Proceedings Columbia Biochemical Association [Jan. 



ethylamin is perfused through the liver, it yields phenyl acetic acid. 

 As the amin is a product of intestinal putrefaction of tyrosin, and 

 assuming that some such cleavage takes place with other aromatic 

 amins of intestinal putrefaction, their formation should be markedly 

 hindered by free purgation, with consequent reduction of acidemia. 

 In the cases observed there was a drop in the proportions of am- 

 monia, acetone, and indican when free purgation was instituted in 

 conjunction with a low protein diet. 



In two cases of fatal acidemia it was impossible to obtain free 

 purgation owing to intestinal paresis, while in those cases in which 

 free purgation was obtained, prompt relief from acidemia was noted. 



46. Studies on the eff ects of salinity changes upon regenera- 

 tion. A. J. GoLDFARB. (Marine Biological Laboratory of the 

 Carnegie Institution^ Dry Tortugas, Florida, and the Biological 

 Laboratories of the College of the City of New York.) This in- 

 vestigation was made with the idea of ascertaining to what extent 

 changes in density of sea water afifected an organism, Cassiopea 

 xamanacha, normally subject to relatively great changes in density 

 of the sea. It was furthermore intended to compare the results, on 

 one band, with those upon the hydroid, Endendriuin, which lives in 

 more dilute and more static densities, and on the other, with the 

 classic results of Loeb on the Tubidaria of Messina. Much care 

 was devoted to reducing the number of variable factors, or in ren- 

 dering them uniform, or eliminating them altogether, such as, varia- 

 tions in respiration due to varying volume, surface and depth of 

 the Solutions, variations due to differences in size of the medusas, to 

 level of amputation, to cyclical variations in density, to limited num- 

 bers (323 arms were used), etc. 



The results are not easily summarized. Normal and super- 

 normal regeneration occurred in normal sea water and in sea water 

 diluted from 5 to 15 per cent. In the gradient series, regeneration 

 was at first gradually, then more rapidly, reduced until a 50 per cent. 

 Solution was reached, in which regeneration was inhibited altogether. 

 The medusae however lived in this and in the 45 per cent. solutions. 

 The other half of the curve was strikingly different, in that re- 

 generation feil off very rapidly, ceasing completely in 125 or 133 

 per cent. solutions. The whole curve was strikingly different in 

 character from the one described by Loeb. 



