1326 
acid) the same property became manifest, even when they were 
taken in very weak concentrations e.g. propionic acid 1 : 10.000.000, 
chloroform 1 : 5.000.000, chloralhydrate 1 : 20.000, alcohol 1 : 10.000, 
concentrations answering to the division-coefficients of these substances 
between oil and water. 
In order to penetrate more deeply into the nature of this pheno- 
menon, we asked ourselves if the entrance of these substances into 
the phagocytes resulted in a decreased viscosity or in a decreased 
surface-tension. But experiments in this direction made by BuBaNnovic 
in our laboratory’), and after another and better method in that of 
Prof. ARRHENIUS’) at Stockholm, gave negative results; so did other 
experiments taken by myself later on. The object of these experiments 
was to investigate if the surface-tension of oil decreased under the 
influence of small quantities of chloroform and similar substances. 
It must, however, be remembered that the lipoids of the cell- 
surface may not be considered identical with oil, so that it is 
not impossible that after all we have to deal with a decreased 
surface-tension. In order to ascertain if this is really the case the 
experiments of BuBanovic would have to be repeated with the lipoids 
of the white blood-corpuscles, but it is very difficult to obtain these 
substances in sufficient quantities. Perhaps in the future, methods 
may be available enabling us to determine these values with slighter 
quantities than are required at present. 
But however this may be, as yet the experiments which aimed 
at establishing a modification in the viscosity or surface-tension under 
the influence of traces of fat-dissolving substances, have led to 
negative results. *) 
Whilst looking forward to these researches with the lipoids of 
the blood-corpuscles or, better still, with naked protoplasm, we asked 
ourselves whether perhaps the acceleration of phago- 
cytosis would not be accompanied by an increased 
oxygen-consumption, would perhaps even be caused 
by it. 
This possibility had already been suggested by us before *), and 
IE. BuBanovic, Zeitschr. f. Chemie und Jndustrie der Kolloide. 10 (1912), 178. 
2) F. Busanovic, Middelanden f. K. Vetenskaps-Akademiens, Nobelinstitut N°. 17 
(EIA): 
5) Later experiments however have shown, that small amounts of chloroform 
diminish the viscosity of York. [Note added to the translation). : 
4) H. J. Hampurcer: Physikalisch-chemische Untersuchungen über Phagozyten. 
Ihre Bedeutung von allgemein biologischem und pathologischem Gesichtspunkt. 
Wiesbaden, J. F. BERGMANN, 1912, S. 167. 
