2346 Journal of Applied Microscopy 



Wagner, A. Vitalismus? Eine aus der mod- The first of these papers is a decidedly 



ernen naturwissenschaftlichen Litteratur ^^^^^^-^^ ^.^^1,^, than intensive discus- 

 geschopfte Zusammenstellung von mechan- 



ischen Erkliirungsweisen fiir Bewegung, sion of the question of " mechanism 



Stoffwechsel und Fortpflanzung der Zelle. . j. „ ^ explanation of 



Berlin und Leipzig, 1902 (Vogel & Kreien- ^ t- 



brink), pp. 57. Mk. 1.20. vital phenomena. The author comes 



Wolff, G. Mechanismus und Vitalismus. Leip- ^^ ^^^^ conclusion that any vitalistic 



zig, IQ02. (Thieme), pp. 36. Mk. i. . . -^,■^^ 



assumption is unnecessary, iiiologists 



will be surprised to learn from this paper that " the fact of the inheritance of 



acquired characters argues very strongly in favor of the correctness of Weis- 



mann's hypothesis of the continuity of the germplasm." 



Wolff's paper is of an entirely different character from that above mentioned. 



It is a thoughtful critique, point for point, of Biitschli's pamphlet on the same 



subject, the present author defending the neo-vitalistic standpoint. R. p. 



NORMAL AND PATHOLOGICAL HISTOLOGY. 



JOSEPH H. PRATT, Harvard University Medical School. 



Books for Review and Separates of Papers on these Subjects should be Sent to Joseph H. Pratt, 

 Harvard University Medical School, Boston, Mass. 



Gushing, H. Physiologische und anatomische The circulation of the cerebral cortex 



Beobachtungen liber den Einfluss von Hirn- in dogs was observed by inserting a 



kompression auf den intracraniellen Kreis- , • , • ., 1 n t „ 1 „^,,, 



lauf und iiber einige hiermit verwandte Er- g'^SS Window in tne skull. Local COm- 



scheinungen. Mittheilungen aus den Grenz- pression was produced by distending a 



gebieten der Medizin und Chiruigie, 9: 111 l- u ..^ 1 j ^ *u„ 



* ^ ^ rubber bag, which was attached to the 



inner end of a canula inserted through 



a trephine opening. The degree of pressure desired was obtained by allowing 



mercury to run into the bag from a burette. General compression was produced 



by allowing normal saline solution to enter the cerebro-spinal space through a 



rubber tube connected with a flask. The tension was regulated by the degree 



of elevation of the flask. J. h. p. 



Keyes, P. Lecithin as a Complement. Berlin. Keyes found that the erythrocytes of 



klin. Woch. pp. 886, 018, 1902. . , , 1 j j- 4.1 



^^ ' ^ ' ^ some animals were hemolyzed directly 



by venom, while the erythrocytes of other species were hemolyzed only after a 

 complement was added. Not all the corpuscles in any animal showed the same 

 susceptibility. The red blood corpuscles of dog and guinea pig were most sus. 

 ceptible, of horse very little, and of ox, sheep and goat not at all, but hemolyze 

 on addition of a complement. 



Keyes showed that an endocomplement exists in red blood corpuscles, and 

 that a definite chemical crystalizable substance, lecithin, can assume, in a cer- 

 tain sense, the role of complement. He thinks that lecithin and cobra ambo- 

 ceptors came into union, and by this the avidity of the cytophile group of the 

 cobra amboceptors is heightened. He holds that the venom amboceptors, be- 

 sides a cytophile group, have two haptophore groups, of which one can bind the 

 ordinary complement and the other the lecithin. j. h. p. 



