XI -BIOLOGICAL ACTION OF THE SALTS CONTAINED IN SEA- 

 WATER FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE MAINTENANCE 

 OF MARINE ANIMALS.* 



By H. a. Coutaxce. 



[Professor at the schools of naval medicine, pharmacist in chief to the Navy, anil President 

 of the Academical Society of Brest.'] 



Marine animals are organisms of excessive sensibilitj^, and are sub- 

 ject to the varied influences of the element in which they live. The 

 disposition of the fauna of the sea is dependent on the composition of 

 the salt water, the nature and quantity of the gases dissolved, and the 

 temperature, force, and operation of the currents. The succession of 

 species of marine animals in geological strata, little diflerent from each 

 other in the nature of the deposits, shows plainly that influences which 

 appear to us but of slight importance, have governed this succession 

 itself. 



I wished to ascertain the infl^uences which the modifications in the 

 nature of the salts dissolved might have on the marine animals, and 

 with this view I entered upon a series of researches for the i)urpose of 

 establishing a biological parallel between these salts. My experiments 

 ha^'e been solely devoted to the molluscs of our shores, especially those 

 which form articles of food for our population. 



The sea water contains for every 1,000 grams an average of 35 grams 

 of dift'ereut salts in solution, among which chloride of sodium appears 

 to exercise the most important influence on animal life. The supposi- 

 tion is doubtless permissible that the other substances are useful to a 

 certain limited extent, and have, apparently at least, no hurtful in- 

 fluence. 



*'' Action hiologique des sels de Vean de mer au point de rue de Ventreiien des animaux 

 marins." From Bulletin mensiiel de la Socidte vationale d' Acclimatation de France, 3d. 

 series, vol. X, No. 2, February, 1883. Bead at the 19th meeting of the learned socie- 

 ties, in 1882, in general session. Translated from the French by Herman Jacobson. 

 [1] 749 



