178 EXPERIMENT STATION EECOKD. 



Medicine at London on August 8, 1913, wliich deals especially with the work 

 of the author and others engaged in the same line of research. 



The relation of the leucocytic bacteriolysin to body fluids, W. H. Man- 

 WABiNG {Abs. in Science, n. ser., 38 {1913), No. 978, p. ^55).— It is pointed out 

 that a substance can be extracted from the leucocytes of the horse which, 

 when dissolved in distilled water, is strongly bactericidal. When dissolved 

 in physiological salt solution it also possesses considerable bactericidal power, 

 but when mixed with sera, cerebro-spinal fluid, products of tissue, or leucocyte 

 autolysis, it is without bactericidal power. 



It is stated that the antibactericidal action of body fluids and tissue products 

 depends upon three factors: "(1) The antibactericidal power of the colloids they 

 contain, (2) the antibactericidal power of their neutral salts and other neutral 

 diffusible components, and (3) the antibactericidal power of their diffusible 

 alkalis. Diffusible acids are apparently without antibactericidal effect. An 

 extract from horse leucocytes can have little or no antiseptic action when in- 

 jected into body cavities and tissue spaces." 



Toxic action and disinfecting agents, H. KtJHL (Chem. Ztg., 37 {1913), No. 

 12, pp. 113-115). — This is a discussion of the methods used at the present time 

 for determining the toxicity of certain disinfecting agents against bacteria and 

 other micro-organisms. It is pointed out that in certain concentrations disin- 

 fectants act as stimulators of growth. 



Technical errors in protective vaccination, S. Laufeb {Allatofvosi Lapok, 

 3G {1913), No. 12, pp. 139-143; ahs. in Berlin. Tierdrztl. Wchnschr., 29 {1913), 

 No. 36, p. 6^5). — This is a criticism of some of the preparatory and vaccination 

 methods utilized at the present time for immunizing animals. 



Synthetic antigens for the meiostagmin reaction when used for malignant 

 growths, G. IzAR (Wiener KWi. Wchnschr., 25 {1912), No. 33, pp. 12^7, 1248; 

 abs. in Centbl. Bakt. [etc.], 1. Abt., Ref., 56 {1913), No. 17, pp. 520, 521).— On 

 successively precipitating pancreas antigens in a methyl alcoholic solution with 

 acetone, ethyl alcohol, ether, benzol, and petroleum-ether, the preparation ob- 

 tained was found not to be any more stable than the original crude methyl 

 alcohol extract. The crude extract is insoluble in acetone and the purified 

 product is soluble. 



The following antigens, prepared with myristic acid according to E. Fischer's 

 method, were found utilizable in the test : Witte peptone, albumose from Witte 

 peptone, albumose from trypsin digestion and also from pepsin digestion of 

 calf's pancreas, edestin, casein, elastin, and kyrin. Instead of myristic acid, 

 oleic and palmitic acids obtained from the fats of the pancreas, from human 

 sarcomas, carcinoma, and from cacao butter can be employed. Which of these 

 compounds is preferable from the standpoint of stability and the number of 

 positive results obtained, the author was unable to say. 



Complement fixation obtained with the purified antigen and with all the com- 

 binations mentioned above was as marked with inactivated normal serum as 

 with the sera obtained from subjects affected \^ith tumors. By bringing 

 together blood serum with some of the synthetic antigens hemolytic substances 

 were produced in large amounts. The tumor sera furnished the greatest 

 amount of these substances. 



An improvement in the meiostagmin reaction, R. Kohler and A. Lugeb 

 {Wiener Klin. Wchnschr., 25 {1912), No. 29, pp. 1114, 1115; abs. in Centbl. 

 Bakt. [etc.l, 1. Abt., Ref., 56 {1913), No. 3, pp. 77, 7S).— The principal purpose 

 of this work was to find a method for preparing more stable extracts of the 

 organs used in the test. Tests with aqueous and alcoholic solutions of lecithin 

 and cholesterol yielded unsatisfactory results, while an extract prepared from 

 lecithin in a finely divided state from various sources and obtained by extracting 



