612 EXPERIMENT STATION EECORD. [Vol.38 



Other characteristic properties are its action as an acid compound, precipitation 

 reaction with potassium ferrocyanid from a solution in dilute acetic acid, strong 

 tryptophane, Millon's and biuret reactions, and solubility in relatively strong 

 alcoholic solutions. 



" Tlie possible existence of proteins of similar solubility ought to be consid- 

 ered whenever the complete removal of protein is necessary for the isolation of 

 nonprotein nitrogenous substances of animal origin." 



A study of heat-coag'ulable and water-soluble protein of cow's milk, L. S. 

 Palmeb {Missouri Sta. Bui. 151 {1917), pp. 37, .98).— In a study of the relation 

 of milli proteins to their filtration through the Pasteur-Chamberland filter it 

 was found that only about 75 per cent as much nitrogen passes through the 

 filter when preserved with chloroform as when preserved with formaldehyde. 

 The total amount which passes through in the presence of either preservative 

 or without any preservative at all does not exceed 25 per cent of the total non- 

 casein nitrogen. The amount of albumin which passes tlirough when formal- 

 dehyde is added to the milk was found to be only about 10 per cent of that 

 which may be obtained from the casein filtrate of the original milk when tannic 

 acid is used as the protein precipitant. 



The presence of chloroform in milk materially decreased the yield of albumin, 

 especially after it had stood a few days. 



In regard to the character of the proteins which invariably remain after the 

 heat-coagulable proteins have been removed, a review of the literature on 

 methods of analysis and the preliminary work indicates that these proteins are 

 merely the residues of albumin and globulin from the original milk which have 

 been sufficiently decomposed during the removal of the casein with the acid to 

 render them noncoagulable by heat and to alter their properties in other ways. 

 No indication was obtained of the presence of proteoses and peptones in milk. 

 It appears that heat coagulation will have to be abandoned as a method deter- 

 mining the albumin of cow's milk. 



A study of the dietary essential, water-soluble B, in relation to its solu- 

 bility and stability toward reag'ents, E. V. McCollum and N. Simmonds 

 {Jour. Biol. Chem., S3 {1918), No. 1, pp. 55-89, figs. 12).— This article reports 

 a series of investigations conducted with the assistance of H. Steenbock, for 

 the purpose of developing a new method of isolating water-soluble B depend- 

 ing upon its solubility in various organic solvents. Experimental data and 

 growth charts are reported and results interpreted. The method was as 

 follows,: 



Rats were used as experimental animals and were fed a diet of purified food 

 substances complete except that it was free from water-soluble B. Five per 

 cent of butter fat was used to supply an abundance of fat-soluble A. The rats 

 were confined to this mixture for about five weeks until they had become sta- 

 tionary in weight or were declining with evidence of paralysis. The material 

 to be tested for water-soluble B was then added to the diet. The method served 

 to show within two weeks whether a sufficient amount of water-soluble B 

 was in the preparation under investigation. 



The authors feel that this method is more satisfactory as a test than is the 

 conventional method of curing polyneuritic pigeons since the element of growth, 

 as well as recovery, is introduced. In this connection, they offer the following 

 alternative explanation for Williams' hypothesis (E. S. R., 36, p. 314) of a 

 specific type of labile isomerism rather than a specific chemical complex in 

 accounting for the curative effects on polyneuritic pigeons of various un- 

 related substances. " The temporary relief of polyneuritis may be the result of 

 the pharmacological action of certain substances rather than a response with 

 renewed function of cells which have been subjected to a selective fast and 



