572 R. A. SPAETH 



gested that an antagonism exists between the K+ cation and the 

 five anions, which is greatest in the case of the chloranion and 

 least effective with SCN". 



A comparison of the chlorides of the six alkalies showed that 

 K+ and Na+ are at the extremes of the cation series, K+ being 

 the most effective contracting stimulus and least effective in 

 its antagonism of the secondary (cytolytic) degeneration. Po- 

 tassium was found to be approximately seven times as potent 

 n its specific effect as sodium. This was clearly a case of cation 

 antagonism. Thus (1) mixtures of the salts of K and Na showed 

 a definite antagonism of the cations (in agreement with Loeb, 

 '10, '11) and (2) individual neutral salts of K seemed to show 

 an antagonism of cation and anion which varies with the nature 

 of the latter (a distinct influence of the anion as is claimed by 

 Koch '09, and others). 



Other experiments with Na and Mg salts showed perfectly 

 clearly that in these cases the first effect (presumably that of 

 the cation) was influenced by the nature of the anion (NaCl vs. 

 NaSCN, p. 549 and MgCl, vs. MgSO*, p. 553). Na is only about 

 one seventh as potent, specifically, as K. It therefore seems 

 possible that in the case of the contractions which occur in the 

 five neutral salts of K any specific retarding effect of the anion 

 is obscured because of the relatively powerful specific effect of 

 the K+ ion. Upon this basis the greater activity of NaCl as com- 

 pared with NaSCN could be explained since in the latter case 

 Na (the least potent contracting stimulus) is coupled with SCN 

 — the most toxic (cytolytic) anion of the series. 



The relatively greater activity of MgS04 as compared with 

 MgCl2 is possibly assocated with the light dissociation of the 

 former salt. In some respects MgS04 shows the characteristics 

 of a lipoid solvent (slight dissociation and narcotic action) but 

 the xanthophores, which contain a lipochrome pigment that dis- 

 solves readily in alcohols, etc., remain intact in a MgS04 solu- 

 tion for many hours. 



Two types of antagonism have been suggested to explain the 

 results of the foregoing experiments with K and Na salts, indi- 

 vidually and in combination. In the first of these the antagonism 



