The effect of chemical irritation on the respiration of fungi 
ADA WATTERSON 
The effect of chemical irritation upon the growth of fungi has 
been the subject of considerable study for a number of years past. 
The results obtained by Raulin, * Richards, + Ono, t Hattori, § 
and others have gone to prove that certain metallic salts, in small 
quantities, stimulate the metabolic activity of various fungi and 
thereby induce a more rapid growth than is normal. This action 
is interpreted by Richards || as being a means by which the plant 
is enabled to dispose more economically of the sugar or other 
source of the carbohydrates required in growth. 
The fungi used by Richards in his experiments were Sterzg- 
matocystis (Aspergillus) niger, Penicillium glaucum, and Botrytis, and 
the substances which served as irritants were zinc, iron, cobalt and 
nickel sulphates, NaFl, LiCl, Na,SiO,, cocaine, morphine and 
amygdalin. Ono made use of the same irritants with the addition 
of HgCl,. Hattori experimented with CuSO,; Yasuda{ with 
certain alkaloids ; Hueppe ** found the activities of bacteria stimu- 
lated by certain poisons. Schultz ++ likewise observed an accelera- 
tion of fermentation in yeast following the addition of small quan- 
tities of poisonous substances, but whether this was due to a more 
* Raulin, J. Etudes chimiques sur la végétation ; deuxiéme partie. Ann. Sci. 
Nat. Bot. V. rr: 190-299. 1869. 
7 Richards, H. M. Die Beeinflussung des Wachsthums einiger Pilze durch 
chemische Reize. Jahrb. Wiss. Bot. 30 : 665-6 1897. 
f{ Ono, N. Ueber die Wachsthumsbeschleunigang einiger Algen und Pilze durch 
chemische ota: our. Coll. Sci. Imp. Univ. Tokyo, 13 : 141-186. 1900, 
2 Hattori, H. Studien iiber die Einwirkung des Kupfersulfats auf einige Pflan- 
zen. Jour. Coll. Sci. Imp. Univ. Tokyo, 15 : 371-394. 1901. 
| Richards, H. M. The effect of chemical irritation on the economic coefficient 
of sugar. Bull. Torrey Club, 26: 463-479. 1899 
{ Yasuda, A. On the effect of alkaloids sites some moulds. Bot. Mag. Tokyo, 
i Hueppe, F, hivarngoamigest9 Einfiihrung in die Bakteriologie, 55. Wies- 
baden, 1896. (Not seen.) 
tt Schultz, H. eiteer's Archiv, 42: —. 1888. (Reference in Bot. Zeitung, 
46: 610. 1888.) 
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