176 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol.40 



ingestion. It is suggested that the effect is to be considered rather as one due 

 to a general stimulation of all cellular metabolism by amino acids, the products 

 of the digestion of protein." 



The distribution of phosphoric acid in normal human blood, W. R. Bloob 

 (Jour. Biol. Chetn., 36 (1918), No. 1, pp. J f 9-57 ; abs. in Jour. Atner. lied. Assoc, 

 11 (1918), No. 20. p. 1693; Chan. Abs., 12 (1918), No. 23, pp. 2615. 2616).— The 

 distribution of phosphoric acid in the blood of normal men and women has 

 been determined by the methods previously noted (E. S. R., 40, p. 16). Con- 

 clusions drawn from the results reported are summarized as follows: 



"Phosphoric acid compounds found in human blood may be divided into two 

 classes, the acid-soluble (soluble in dilute acids and precipitated with the 

 proteins by alcohol ether) and the lipoid-phosphoric acid compounds (soluble 

 in alcohol ether and precipitated with the proteins by dilute acids). The two 

 groups are apparently sharply defined, and, since in general their sum is equal 

 to the total phosphates, the presence of other forms of phosphoric acid combi- 

 nation in blood in significant amounts is doubtful. 



" In the second of these groups are contained substances of the type of 

 lecithin; in the first group inorganic phosphates and an unknown compound 

 (or compounds), winch is decomposed by heating with acids yielding phosphoric 

 acid. The amount of the unknown form of phosphoric acid combination in 

 plasma is relatively small — up to 10 per cent of the total phosphates — while 

 in the corpuscles it composes GO to 80 per cent of the total phosphate. The 

 corpuscles are relatively richer in all types of compound than the plasma, 

 and there is also considerably less variation in their composition in different 

 individuals than is the case with the plasma." 



A theory advanced by the author in explanation of the chemical nature of 

 the unknown form of phosphoric acid combination is that it is possibly inosinic 

 acid or some similar residue of the nucleoprotein of the nucleus which is no 

 longer present in tiie mammalian erythrocytes. The large amount of organic 

 phosphorus in the corpuscles Is also considered of significance in view of the 

 fact that the corpuscles have been found to be one of the places of formation of 

 lecithin during far absorption. 



Botulism. E. c. Dickson (Monograph* Rockefeller Inst. Med. Research, No. 

 8 (1918), pp. 117. pis. 10, figs. 2). — This is a detailed study of investigations, a 

 preliminary report of which has been previously noted (E. S. R., 33, p. SGG). 

 The report includes an historical review of the subject from American and 

 European literature; reports of new cases; symptomatology, course, diagnosis, 

 treatment, and mortality of American cases; experimental work with various 

 strains of BacithU botulinus and their toxins; and a critical review of the 

 results of the investigations. The author summarizes his conclusions as 

 follows: 



"(1) Botulism is endemic in the United States and is of comparatively 

 frequent occurrence on the 1'acitic Coast; (2) the toxin of li. botuUnu* may 

 form in a medium which is of purely vegetable composition; (3) there La 

 apparently a close relation between the botulism of human beings and [limber 

 neck], a hitherto unexplained illness of domestic fowl: and (4) the botulinus 

 toxin produces characteristic lesions in the body in the form of thrombosis in 

 the blood vessels of many of the organs." 



ANIMAL PRODUCTION. 



Western live stock management, edited by E. T>. Potter {New York: The 

 Macmillan Co., n>n. pp. XIV +462, pis. hi figs. 40).— This volume, prepared 



originally as a college text, aims to give a BUTVej of actual lhc stock condi- 



