VETERINARY MEDICINE. 481 



among i-ecently introduced animals. The plant proved fatal when fed to 

 guinea pigs, one animal dying in 16 hours after eating a good supply. 



Toxic substances in Ascaris megalocephala {Jour. Trop. Vet. ScL, 6 {1911), 

 No. Jf, pp. 550, 551). — A brief review of some recent literature on the subject. 



Disinfection, disinfecting substances, and their examination, A. Reitz 

 (Ztsclir. Angew. Chem., 23 (1910), No. J,'1, pp. 2i.93-220i).— This is a critical 

 discussion in regard to disinfection and disinfectants in general, and the 

 methods utilized to determine the efficiency of the disinfectants. 



New treatment of infectious diseases; immunity, E. Doyen (Nouveau Traite- 

 mcnt cles Maladies hifccticuses ; L'lmnmnite. Paris, 1911, pp. Ii2.'t). — This book 

 deals with the treatment of infectious and other diseases by mycolysins. The 

 theories of immunity with particular regard to phagocytosis are discussed in 

 detail. The material is presented in the form of lectures. 



The detection of parasites with the complement fixation method, B. Busson 

 {CentN. Bald, [etc.], 1. Aht., Orig., 60 (1911), No. 5, pp. //26-7/33).— With the 

 complement fixation method and employing alcoholic extracts of the parasites 

 as the antigens, it is possible to obtain a positive reaction in only a part of 

 the cases. Negative results were obtained where the parasites were present 

 for a long time and in large numbers. In a rabbit serum it was noted that 

 there are often substances normally present which give complement fixation 

 with alcoholic extracts of tapeworms or with an extract of heart muscle. 

 This property can be stimulated by injecting substances usually indifferent to 

 this reaction, such as leucin, tyrosin, and heart muscle extract. The serum 

 of luetics will give the same complement fixation reaction as obtained with 

 heart muscle extract or with alcoholic extracts of the tapeworm or echino- 

 coccus. 



The present status of anaphylaxis, R. Doere (Ztschr. Immunitdtsf. u. Expt. 

 Thcr., IT, Ref., 2 (1910), No. 7-8, pp. 1,9-132).— A. retrospect of the work done 

 and theories in this regard. A bibliography of 232 titles is appended. 



Hemagglutination, H. Raubitschek {Ztschr. Immunitdtsf. u. Expt. Ther., 

 II, Ref., 2 (1910), No. 11, pp. 181-200).— A review of the principal work done 

 along this line, with a critical discussion. A bibliography of 239 titles is ap- 

 pended. 



The relation of the reaction of the culture medium to the production of 

 hemolysin, E. E. Atkin (Jour. Hyg. [Cambridge], 11 {1911), No. 2, pp. 193-201, 

 dgm. 1). — "Many bacteria have an extensive range of growth in bouillon of 

 varying reactions; some have a much more restricted range, as the strep- 

 tococci obtained from the blood stream. There seems to be roughly a common 

 optimum of growth when the reaction of the bouillon is neutral to phenolph- 

 thalein, provided that the medium is always prepared in the same way as de- 

 scribed above. Although small differences may be desirable for individual 

 bacteria, this reaction can be recommended for ordinary laboratory routine 

 work. Most micro-organisms have some power of overcoming the inhibitory 

 effect of excess of NaOH. This is much commoner than the capacity for over- 

 coming excess of HCl which was observed in a few instances. The hemolysin 

 production of Vibrio nasik is not limited to an optimum reaction, but is prac- 

 tically coextensive with its range of growth in media of varying reactions. In 

 a series of bouillon cultures containing different quantities of alkali and acid, 

 the amount of hemolysin produced was about the same in each case, but the 

 time at which the maximum was reached was influenced by the reaction. 

 This was modified in such a way that the most alkaline cultures produced 

 hemolysin soonest and lost it again before the most acid ones. There seemed 

 to be an optimum as regards length of duration of hemolysin in the culture in 

 the case of the sample bearing the reaction, acid 5." 



