Thle means that mice died of the effects of the amount of bacteria picked 

 up on one platlnuni wire. There was no detectable difference in the virulence 

 of the various species. 



5. Chemical Studies of the Poison 



It was unfortunately Impossible to obtain the results desired in the im- 

 portant chemical re8esa*ches because of insufficient help in dissecting and 

 handling the specimens, an insufflcieacy of instruments and vessels, and the 

 lack of refrigeration. 



Pish obtained by the method described above were dissected and the muscle 

 tissue, liver, gonads, and blood were put into separate vessels. Each organ 

 and the muscle tissue were ground up finely in a mllk-bovrl, three parts of 

 pure Tiater were added, the blood was collected in a sterile test tube, chlo- 

 ]«)form and toluol were added to prevent docomposition, and the specimens were 

 stored in a dark cool place until they were brought bacV to Japan, It is 

 not known whether or not this method of preservation was a suitable one. Be- 

 cause of the method by which the fish were taken, they quickly died and their 

 blood coagulated. Consequently only a very small amount of blood coild bo 

 collected. 



Experiments with this material were begun immediately upon ny return to 

 the Institute, but a period of at least two weeks had passed since the collec- 

 tion of the test materials. Although these were stored at low temperaturns, 

 on the way home the vessel encountered a typhoon and as a result thp refrigera- 

 tion equipment did not function perfectly. Also I was unfortunately not able 

 to bring back a large amount of material because of the dangsr of breakage 

 to glass containers aboard ship and bocause of the necessity of selecting only 

 as much as was convenient to carry back Ttith me. I also brought back speci- 

 mens of crabs, coral, and sea-weeds, 



I first filtejred the test materials, removed the chloroform and toluol, 

 and then Injected 0,5 ml of the fl'iid into the body cavity of a mouse weigh- 

 ing 13-15 grams. The resrilts were observfid with controls (edible fish) for 

 comparison. There were no effects and none of the animals died. Even when 

 the test material was concentrated at a Ioto pressure and injected into the 

 bo^y cavities of mice, no effects could be observed. I wonder whether this 

 may have been entirely due to the unsuitable manner in wliich I transported 

 the test materials? And in the case of a study carried on in a tropical area 

 and requiring a considerable period of time, is it not senseless not to per- 

 form the experiments in the ri.eld? 



6. Effect of the Occurrence of Poisonous Fishes on 



Fisheries in General and Countermeasures to be Tsiken 



The principal fisheries of the South Sea Islands are those for the 8kip= 

 jack and the tuna. The question of whether the poisonous fishes are shore 

 species or deepsea species has a direct and important bearing on- the main 

 fisheries of the South Seas, The poisonous fishes are mostly large species 

 which occur outside of the reefs, but at least at present there have been no 

 reports of cases of poisoning caused by skipjack and tuna (when eaten as raw 

 fish). In general the consumers of these fishes hold the belief that they are 

 never poisonous, and so there is no particular problem, however, if someone 

 should on some occasion feel sotrewhat unwell for some other reason and this 

 condition should coincide with his having eaten some skipjack or tuna, the 

 report that these fishes are also poisonous would spread rapidly through the 



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