1916] VETERINABY MEDICINE. 679 



to be for the most part expelled or destroyed in the process of ' cooking ' pre- 

 paratory to the extraction of the oil. 



" The quantity of hydrocyanic acid found in the cake prepared from treated 

 seed is so small that it would in no way interfere with its use as cattle feed. 

 No hydrocyanic acid could be detected in the partly refined oil. No alteration 

 in its character or properties could be detected. The considerable absorption 

 of hydrocyanic acid gas by cotton seed appears to be very largely due to the 

 solubility of the gas in the oil contained in the seed." 



The biolog-ic reactions of the vegetable proteins. — VII, Anaphylaxis re- 

 actions between proteins from seeds of different genera of plants, H. G. 

 Wells and T. B. Osbobne (Jour. Infect. Diseases, 19 (1916), No. 2, pp. 183- 

 193). — Continuing work previously noted (E. S. R., 34, p. 577) it is concluded 

 that since chemically similar proteins from seeds of different genera react 

 anaphylactically with one another, while chemically dissimilar proteins from the 

 same seed fail to do so in many cases, the specificity of the anaphylactic reac- 

 tion depends on the chemical structure of the protein molecule. 



Certain nonspecific reactions obtained with antigens made from bacteria 

 grown on serum media, J. K. Olitsky and E. Bernstein (Jour. Infect. Dis- 

 eases, 19 {1916), No. 2, pp. 253-259). — "The injection of serum-grown bacteria 

 into animals for the purpose of producing immune serum for comparative 

 serologic studies is to be avoided. Such a method results in the production of a 

 precipitating serum v. the serum present in the media. The antiserum thus 

 formed reacts in a nonspecific manner to various bacteria grown on serum 

 media in regard to precipitation, agglutination, complement-fixation, and forma- 

 tion of cellular antibody." 



A comparison of the natural hemolytic activity of fresh human sera 

 against guinea-pig and sheep erythrocytes, H. W. Wade (Jour. Med. Re- 

 search, 84 {1916), No. 1, pp. 113-119). — From the study it is concluded that 

 natural antiguinea-pig hemolytic activity occurs in human sera with consider- 

 able regularity and uniformity of concentration. This hemolytic combination is 

 deemed superior to the natural antisheep cell hemolysins as a serological 

 reagent, since the latter appears less constantly and with greater variability of 

 concentration. 



The influence of exposure to X-rays upon the formation of antibodies, 

 J. P. SiMONDs and H. M. Jones {Jour. Med. Research, 33 {1915), No. 2, pp. 

 183-196, fig. 1). — In the experiments reported rabbits were exposed daily to 

 X-rays for from 10 to 15 minutes for a period of three weeks. Immediately fol- 

 lowing the exposure a single large dose of killed typhoid bacilli was given intra- 

 peritoneally to each animal. 



The exposure to the X-rays was found to lower appreciably the formation of 

 agglutinins. No marked difference was observed in the opsonic content and com- 

 plement-fixing power of the serum of X-rayed animals compared with controls. 

 It is deemed that the results obtained in a study of the bacteriolysins for 

 typhoid bacilli do not warrant a positive statement. The indications are, 

 however, that the production of bacteriolysins was not greatly interfered with 

 by exposure to X-rays. 



The efEect of injections of benzol upon the production of antibodies, J. P. 

 Simonds and H. M. Jones {Jonr. Med. Research, 33 {1915), No. 2, pp. 197-211, 

 figs. 2). — In these experiments rabbits were injected subcutaneously with a 

 mixture of 1 part benzol and 2 parts olive oil in such doses that the animals 

 received approximately 1 cc. of benzol per kilogram of body weight. 



Sharp individual differences were noted in the effect of the injections upon 

 the leucocytes and erythrocytes of the different animals. A depression in the 



