178 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Toxic brans, Marciiadier jiiid Goujon {Ann. FaUif., 7 {191Jf), No. 6-i, pp. 

 77-81). — It is claimed tbat tbe detorniination of the acidity of a bran will give 

 an idea as to the amount of oxidizing ferments present and also as to the 

 toxicity of the bran. Brans having an acidity of 0.15 per cent (expressed in 

 terms of sulphuric acid) are deemed normal. Those containing from 0.15 to 0.3 

 per cent are considered in a state of decomposition, and while not dangerous 

 to health, are susceptible to rapid spoilage. An acidity higher than 0.3 per cent 

 is thought to make the feed unsuitable for consumption. 



A pathogenic bacterium in fish meal, Miessnee and Lange {Dent. Tier- 

 drztl. Wchnschr., 21 {IDIH), N(j. -'/7. p. 7-'/.J). — During the course of examinations 

 of fish meal for the presence of the anthrax bacillus, the authors discovered a 

 capsulated bacterium, ])athogenic for mice, rabbits, and rats, to which they give 

 the name Dlplobacilliis ro;).s?/?a/?<.s. 



The specificity of immunity reactions, and their explanation as colloidal 

 chemical phenomena, K. Landsteiner {Biochcm. Ztschr., 50 {1913), No. 1-2, 

 pp. 176-184; d^J'^- in Jour. Chein. »S'oc. [Lomfon], I04 {1913), No. 60S, I, p. 668).— 

 The conclusions of Michaelis and Davidsohn that certain immunity reactions are 

 not of a colloidal chemical character are not deemed justifiable. 



" The view was arrived at on the ground that certain precipitin reactions are 

 independent to a large extent of the hydrogen ion concentrations. Attention is 

 especially called to the fact that serum, blood corpuscles, etc., of different species 

 exert the maximum action in the presence of different hydrogen ion concentra- 

 tions. This point is illustrated by the adsorption of ricinus agglutinin, by the 

 different strengths of acid or alkali which hemolyze the corpuscles, by the dif- 

 ferences in the agglutination of stroma ta. and the differences in the precipita- 

 bility of the .sera-precipitating reagents." 



Alimentary anaphylaxis caused by eggs, (J. Laroche. C. Richet, Jr., and F. 

 Saint-Girons {Arch. Med. Expt. et Anat. Path. [Paris], 26 {1914), No. 1, pp. 

 51-59). — Experiments were made with guinea pigs, which received either the 

 white of eggs, the yolk, or the white and yolk, mixed with green feed. 



The results show that anaphylaxis can be easily produced in guinea pigs 

 providing large amounts of eggs are fed over a long period of time. It is also 

 possible to arrive at a point of immunity which is not considered to be an 

 a.ntianaphylaxis. 



Serum anaphylaxis in the bovine, Skiba {Dent. Tierlirzth Wchnschr., 21 

 {1913), No. 22, pp. 338-340; abs. in Ztschr. Immtinitdtsf. u. Expt. Ther., II, 

 Ref., 7 {1913), No. 8, pp. 362, 363).— Of 23 young bovines which had received 

 10 cc. of anthrax serum (Sobernheim) subcutaneously 10 became anaphylactic 

 after a second injection of serum 20 to 30 minutes post injection. The symp- 

 toms remained for 10 to 20 minutes. A third injection 33 days later resulted in 

 15 animals becoming anaphylactic. 



Sources of error in the dialysis method in serological investigations. 

 About the influence of the blood content of organs, E. Aederhalden and A. 

 Weil {Miinchcn. Med. Wchnschr., 60 {1913), No. 31, pp. 1703, 1704; als. in 

 Zentbl. Expt. Med., 5 {1914), No. 1, p. 15). — The use of sera or organs not free 

 of blood never gives satisfactoi'y results. Coagulable serum protein and coagu- 

 lated blood corpuscles were treated in a manner prescribed by Abtlerhalden. and 

 the former was cleaved only 3 times and the latter 46 times out of 96 cases. 

 After the injection of 3 cc. of hemolytic serum in the jugular vein the blood of 

 the animal digests blood corpuscles but not serum proteins. 



The occurrence of protein-cleaving ferments in the blood in advanced 

 hunger, E. Heilner and F. Poensgen {MUnchen. Med. Wchnschr., 61 {1914), 

 No. 8, pp. 402, 403). — When protein loss is prevented by the utilization of the 

 body glycogen, no protein cleavage ferments are present in the blood serum. As 



