168 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



"All the living protoplasm in the animal organism is suspended in a fluid very 

 rich in protein [which is the protein reserve material of the body], and on account 

 of the habitual use of more nitrogenous food than the tissues can use as protein the 

 organism is ordinarily in possession of approximately the maximum amount of 

 reserved protein in solution that it can advantageously retain." 



The view that exogenous metabolism is in the main dependent upon hydrolytic 

 cleavage does not preclude the possibility that a certain amount of oxidation is asso- 

 ciated with this form of catabolism and, indeed, the author considers that some 

 oxidation is necessary and discusses its character. 



The endogenous proteid metabolism, in the author's opinion, has to do with those 

 forms of proteid cleavage which are actually concerned with the vital processes. 

 The theories advanced by the author are discussed in relation to nitrogen equilib- 

 rium, standard diets, diets and diseases, and the effect of work on protein metabolism. 



The course of the renal excretion of nitrogen when different sorts of food 

 are taken, N. W. Schepsky (Inaug. Diss., St. Petersburg, 1900, pp. 38; abs. in 

 Physiol. Russe, 3 (1904), Nos. 48-60, p. 177).— The conclusion was reached that the 

 increased excretion of nitrogen after food is taken varies with different foods and is 

 parallel to the curve showing the power of each food to induce secretion of digestive 

 juices. In other words, the increased nitrogen excretion shortly after taking food 

 is an expression of the activity of the digestive glands. 



The work of the digestive glands when different sorts of food containing 

 fat are eaten, A. M. Wirschubski.i (Inaug. Diss., St. Petersburg, 1900, pp. 55; abs. 

 in Physiol Russe, 3 (1904), Nos. 48-60, p. 177). — Experiments with dogs with fistula? 

 showed that fat added to any sort of food had a retarding influence on stomach 

 digestion. The quantity of gastric juice secreted depended upon the character of 

 the food with which the fat was mixed. 



The production of fat from proteid by the Bacillus pyocyaneus, S. P. 

 Beebe and B. H. Buxton (Amer. Jour. Physiol., 12 (1905), No. 5, pp. 466-470, fig. 1).— 

 The authors found that when Bacillus pyocyaneus grew in fat-free meat extract broth, 

 a thick pellicle was produced on the surface, which yielded fat on extraction with 

 chloroform, the amount obtained being about 0.3 to 0.4 gm. per liter. Some 10 gm. 

 of the fatty material was collected and its characteristics studied. 



Control tests showed that the fat was also formed from sugar-free meat broth and 

 sugar-free meat extract broth containing Witte peptone; therefore, it could not Have 

 been formed from sugar. During the growth of the bacillus the medium becomes 

 very alkaline owing to the presence of free ammonia, which is obviously split off 

 from the proteids. It seems probable, according to the authors, that the fat is formed 

 at any rate in part by the oxidation of the fragments of the albumoses and peptones 

 apart from any carbohydrate nucleus which they may contain. 



"That it is an oxidation process appears more than likely from the fact that the 

 crystals are formed solely in the surface pellicle. Again under anaerobic conditions 

 the bacilli grow sparingly, and no trace of pellicle or fat crystals is formed." 



In addition to the fats a considerable amount of mucin-like substance was formed 

 during the bacterial growth. This gave some of the mucin reactions, yet only traces 

 of a reducing substance could be detected. " Since the mucinous substance, there- 

 fore, does not appear to call for any carbohydrate, we may relegate all of the carbo- 

 hydrate nuclei of the albumoses to the formation of the fat; but even so . . . there 

 could not be sufficient to account for all of it." 



The calcium content of different animal organs, M. Toyonaga (Bui. Col. 

 Agr., Tokyo Imp. Univ., 6 (1904), No. 2, pp. 89-95). — The author reports results of 

 analyses, and summarizes the results of other investigators. The occurrence of cal- 

 cium in different animal tissues and its relation to magnesium is discussed. 





