VETERINARY MEDICINE. 675 



presented, together with those previously submitted, the authors believe that 

 " the Abderhalden dialysis method and the theory underlying it, in so far as 

 it is applicable to protease action, is without warrant of specificity, and prob- 

 ably depends upon purely fortuitous mechanical factors. It seems probable 

 that in various pathological conditions proteases normally confined to the 

 leucocytes in the human being appear in the blood, where their presence can. 

 be demonstrated by a method which removes the antiferment without injuring 

 the ferment." 



It is further concluded that " normal serum protease is not specific ; it is 

 active in both dilute acid as well as alkaline media. It is destroyed by heating 

 to 70° C. for 30 minutes. It is markedly impaired when heated at 56° for 30 

 minutes. It is inhibited by the unsaturated soaps and lipoids. Guinea-pig and 

 rabbit serum contain relatively much protease ; the leucocytes are without pro- 

 teolytic ferments. Normal human and dog serum contain little or no protease; 

 the leucocytes are strongly proteolytic. Serum complement and protease are 

 not identical. During various pathological conditions the nonspecific protease 

 is increased in both human and dog serum. An increase in antiferment is in 

 many instances coincident. 



" During the Abderhalden reaction the placental tissue becomes more resistant 

 to enzym action, because of the adsorption of the antiferment from the serum. 

 The dialyzed serum loses antiferment because of adsorption by the placental 

 tissue or other adsorbing substances, including probably the dialyzing mem- 

 brane. The digestive substrate is the seriun protein made available for protease 

 action by the adsorption of the antiferment. The proteases in pathological 

 conditions investigated by us (pregnancy, tuberculosis, and pneumonia) are non- 

 specific." 



Further observations on the action of the blood serum after the intravenous 

 injection of cane sugar, F. Rohmann {Blochem. Ztschr., 12 (1915), No. 1-2, 

 pp. 26-100, pi. 1). — Confirming the observations of previous investigators the 

 author has further shown that after the intravenous injection of cane sugar 

 the blood serum is not only able to cleave cane sugar into dextrose and levulose, 

 but also to cause a synthesis of lactose from these two hexoses. There is then, 

 apparently, a conversion of ketose into aldose in the animal organism. These 

 phenomena are explained by assuming that certain unknown " stereokinases " 

 appear in the blood, after the injection, which are able to cause certain stereore- 

 arrangements in the carbohydrate molecule. After the intravenous injection of 

 cane sugar the blood not only contains invertin but also certain stereokinases 

 and a lactase. 



The occurrence of pituitrin and epinephrin in fetal pituitary and supra- 

 renal glands, C. P. McCokd {Jonr. Biol. Chcin., 23 (1915), No. 2, pp. 435-438).— 

 The active principle of the pituitary body of the bovine fetal gland was found 

 to be present from the eighth week to full term. For the suprarenals this period 

 was found to be from the sixth week to full term. " The presence of the active 

 principles of these glands at so early a developmental period suggests that the 

 fetus in utero may be under the influence of its own internal secreting glands 

 as well as the maternal glands." 



Details as to weights, ages, etc., are grouped in tabular form. 



The bactericidal properties of some common antiseptics and disinfectants, 

 H. LoTHE and B. A. Beach (Vet. Alumni Quart. [Ohio State Univ.], 2 (1915), 

 No. 4, pp. 147-154). — A general account. 



Experimental observations on the antiseptic action of hypochlorous acid 

 and its application to wound treatment, J. L. Smith, A. M. Dkennan, T. 

 Rettie, and W. Campbell (Brit. Med. Jour. No. 2847 (1915), pp. 129-136).— 

 " Comparative tests confirm the conclusion already arrived at by various inves- 



