FOODS HUMAN NUTEITION. 271 



On the question whether dextrose arises from cellulose in digestion, G. 

 LusK {Atucr. Jour. Physiol., 21 (1911), No. 5, pp. 467, 468).— The author 

 briefly summarizes data acciunulated in connection with some of his earlier 

 experiments, which support the contention that sugar does not arise from the 

 digestion of cellulose. 



Mucic acid and carbohydrate metabolism, L. B. Mendel and W. C. Rose 

 (Abs. in Jour. Biol. Chem., 9 (1911), No. 2, p. XII; Proc Amer. Soc. Biol. 

 Chcm., 2 {1910), No. 1, p. 6). — From experiments with animals the authors 

 concludes " that mucic acid is presumably not an intermediary oxidative prod- 

 uct in the metabolism of galactose or galactose-yielding carbohydrates. The 

 urinary oxalic acid is only very slightly increased after the ingestion of large 

 oanounts of mucic acid. This increase is by no means as large as would be 

 exjjected if mucic acid were a precursor of oxalic acid." 



On creatinin metabolism, C. Voegtlin and Caroline B. Towles (Abs. in 

 Jour. Biol. Chem., 9 (1911), No. 2, pp. XI, XII; Proc. Amer. Soc. Biol. Chem., 2 

 (1910), No. 1, pp. 5, 6). — From the data obtained with dogs and birds the con- 

 clusion is reached that the liver can hardly be supposed to occupy an important 

 l)]ace in creatinin metabolism, as has been claimed by some investigators. 



The sulphur balance in metabolism, A. E. Tayloe (Abs. in Jour. Biol. Chem., 

 9 (1911), No. 2, pp. IX, X; Proc. Amer. Soc. Biol. Chem., 2 (1910), No. 1, pp. 

 3, //). — The balance of income and outgo of sulphur was determined with six 

 normal men for periods of nearly three months, with the object of ascertaining 

 the relations of the sulphur balance. A condition of equilibrium was not 

 observed, the output being regularly and notably higher than the intake. The 

 author does not consider that the results obtained are trustworthy, the pre- 

 sumption being that errors were involved in the determinations of the sulphur 

 index. 



The nature of the chemical combinations of potassium in the tissues, W. 

 Koch and C. C. Todd (Abs. in Jour. Biol. Chem., 9 (1911), No. 2, pp. XV, XVI; 

 Proc. Amer. Soc. Biol. Chem., 2 (1910), No. 1, pp. 9, 10). — ^According to the 

 authors, the results so far obtained indicate that " sodium and potassium 

 phosphatid compounds exist in all the tissues of the body and are probably of 

 much more importance than the hitherto assumed ion protein combination." 



The elimination of caflfein in the bile, W. Salant and W. O. Emeky (Proc. 

 Soc. E.rpt. Biol, and Med., 7 (1910), No. 5, p. 155). — "The elimination of caffein 

 and its products of decomposition in the urine has been studied by a number of 

 investigators in dogs, rabbits, and in man. Its presence in the digestive secre- 

 tions has been recently made the subject of a special investigation in the phar- 

 macological laboratoi'y of the Bureau of Chemistry of [the Department of Agri- 

 culture]. It was found in the bile removed from the gall bladder of a number 

 of dogs poisoned with caffein. In every case appreciable quantities were found. 

 A dog which was given 1.5 gm. of caffein by mouth died four hours later. The 

 bile removed from the gall bladder contained 4.4 mg. of caffein. Similar results 

 were obtained in other exi^rimeuts. Exi^eriments made on rabbits with tem- 

 porary bile fistula have shown that the elimination of caffein likewise takes 

 place by this path in these animals. Caffein was found in the bile two hours 

 after its subcutaneous injection." 



Chemical studies of human sweat, L. W. Riggs (Abs. in Jour. Biol. Chem., 

 9 (1911), No. 2, p. XIX; Proc. Amer. Soc. Biol. Chem., 2 (1910), No, 1, p. 

 13). — Forty-five samples were examined from persons in normal health and 

 from nephritics. The total nitrogen, nitrogen as urea plus ammonia, inorganic 

 solids, potassium, and chlorin were determined in the majority of the samples. 

 101861°— No. 3—11 6 



