50 Coionol Sir Almroth E. Wright [March 'J, 



experniexts which exhibit the properties of 

 Hypertoxic Salt Solutiox. 



You will very reasonably here expect me to produce experiments 

 to show that a hypertonic salt solution has the virtues I ascribe to it. 

 You will wish to see for yourselves that it attracts water, draws out 

 fluid from moist tissues, sets free trypsin from pus, and initiates 

 digestion. 



Drawing Action of Strong Salt Solution. 



I have here {a) agar containing salt to saturation and {h) plain 

 water agar — cast into cylinders in similar 100 c.c. measures, and 

 rendered insoluble by an addition of formalin. Let us consider first 

 the cylinders of water agar. Upon the one of these as it stood in 

 the measure was imposed saturated salt solution, solid salt being 

 afterwards supplied as refjuired. You see that the salt has here 

 drawn out water copiously. The agar has everywhere detached itself 

 from the walls, and we have in the interspace and on the top of the 

 cylinder some 40 to 50 c.c. of fluid. The control cylinder of water 

 agar which has stood in the measure has, as you see, not shrunk at all. 



Exactly the converse has happened with the cylinders of salt agar. 

 These were extracted from the cylinder measures : one was put down 

 to steep in water — that one has, as you see, swollen to twice its bulk ; 

 the other was immersed in saturated salt solution — that one has not 

 altered in bulk. 



We thus see that salt attracts to itself water. It can, according 

 as it is outside or inside, draw it out from or draw it into a moist 

 menstruum. 



I have here in these three test-tubes another form of moist 

 menstruum— cotton wool impregnated with egg-albumen. The plug 

 — in each case a very tight plug — ^is, as you see, placed half way 

 down the tube, dividing it into an upper and lower compartment ; 

 and immediately below the plug I have a lateral hole (now sealed 

 with plasticine).* Through this hole I can wash out l)Oth compart- 

 ments very thoroughly, and fill and empty them without disturl)ing 

 the plug. I have used in these experiments three fluids : a diluted 

 egg-albumen with a specific gravity of 102(1 for my plug, and two 

 extracting fluids — water, and a saline solution containing about 8 per 

 cent, of common salt with a specific gravity of 1052. In Tiihe 1 

 I have water above and below ; in Tube 2 salt solution above and 

 below ; and in Tube 8 water above and salt solution below. And 

 here are the results obtained 24 hours after by emptying out the 

 fluids and boilinff them secundum, artem. In Tube 1 we have in 



* In sealing with the plasticine care must be taken not to produce a 

 positive pressure, and so dri7e albumen up into the upper compartment. 



