No. 1, August, 1921] PHYSIOLOGY 69 



463. Mackay, a. II. The alkaloids of Senecio Jacobaea. Nature 106: 503. 1920.— 

 Correction in earlier article (Nature 106: 321. 1!I20). The plant has not been fatal to sheep 

 as it has to cattle. — O. A. Stevens. 



4G4. ]\Iaiden, J. H. Plants which produce inflammation or irritation of the skin. Agric. 

 Gaz. New South Wales 32: 200. 1921. — Evidence is meagre that "brigalow itch" is caused 

 by brigalow, Acacia harpophylla. Xanthium strurnarium and species of Callitris (pine) are 

 said to cause dermatitis. — L. R. Waldron. 



465. Maue, G. tJber die Inhaltsstoffe der Rhabarberblatter. [Content of rhubarb leaves.] 

 Zeitschr. Untersuch. Nahrungs- u. Ccnussmittel 40: 345-350. 1920. — The leaves are the most 

 valuable part of rhubarb as a vegetable. The only constituents responsible for various cases 

 of poisoning are the acids known as emodin (frangulinic) and chrysophanic acids, which are 

 bound to soluble oxalic acid and oxymethylanthrochinon. — //. G. Barbour. 



466. PiERAERTS, J. Sur I'Heritiera littoralis Ait. [Concerning Heritiera littoralis Ait.] 

 Bull. Sci. Pharm. 23: 15-22. PI. 2, fig. 4. 1921. — Kola nuts are frequently adulterated with 

 the seeds of Heritiera littoralis, a plant native to East Africa but also found in other tropical 

 countries of the Old World. The plant is a large tree, its wood grayish-brown, is very suitable 

 for building material, and its bark, which is rich in tannins, is used for tanning purposes. The 

 fruit is an akene, the pericarp of which is colored light brown externally, has a ligneous consis- 

 tency and a more or less spongy internal texture. The dorsal surface of the fruit is convex, 

 keel-shaped, and is provided throughout its length with a very pronounced median relief, 

 which terminates at the rostrum. The seed does not contain caffeine and theobromine. 

 Volatile oil is present in the drug; also a fixed oil, the latter amounting to 10 times the quantity 

 present in kola. The fixed oil, unlike that of the kola nut, gives Halphen's reaction. — 

 H. Engelhardt. 



467. Prescher, J., und R. Glaus. Zwei eigenartige Ersatzmittel. [Two peculiar sub- 

 stitutes.] Zeitschr. Untersuch. Nahrungs- u. Genussmittel 40: 20S. 1920. — A microscopic 

 and chemical analysis of substitutes for cinnamon powder and rice starch. The substitute 

 for the latter consisted of potato starch with ballast, such as sand, chalk, etc. — H. G. 

 Barbour. 



PHYSIOLOGY 



B. INI. DuGGAR, Editor 

 Carroll W. Dodge, Assistant Editor 



(See also in this issue Entries 105, 160, 226, 230, 280, 437, 460, 461, 540, 543, 546, 551, 



552, 555, 556) 



GENERAL 



468. Lumiere, Auguste. Le mythe des symbiotes. [The symbiosis myth.] xi + 205 

 ■p., 50 fig. Masson et Cie.: Paris, 1919. — The material brought together in this little book is 

 intended to exhibit some of the diverse roles of microorganisms in nature, and more partic- 

 ularly to indicate the limited extent to which such organisms occur in symbiotic association 

 with higher forms, and the specific nature of such associations. The facts are collated with 

 the view of combatting the fundamental ideas of Portier to the effect that 'the bacteria 

 are the only simple organisms, all higher organisms being of a double nature;" that is, such 

 higher forms include bacteria within their protoplasts. The work involves brief discussions 

 of such topics as the following: Symbiosis in plants, as in orchids; the conditions of occurrence 

 and the nature of the saprophytic organisms found occasionally or normally in certain organs 

 of higher animals; vitamines; mitochondria; and asepsis. — B. M. Duggar. 



