Physiology. — ''On the Significance of Calcium' and Potassium- 

 ions for the artificial Oedema and for the lumen of the 

 bloodvessels" . By Rudolf J. Hamburger. (Communicated by 

 Prof". H. J. Hamburger). 



(Communicated at the meeting of March 25, 1922). 



Of late jears a series of researches have been carried out in the 

 Groningen Fiiysiological Laboratory, which demonstrated, among 

 other things, that the sohition used by vSidney Ringer in his remark- 

 able experiments on the frog's heart, is not suitable for other 

 organs of the frog. As known, this solution is composed as 

 follows: NaOl 0,7%, NaHCO, 0,02 7„, CaCl,-6 aq. 0,04%, and 

 KCl 0,01 "/,. Hamburger and Brinkman ') found that when, after 

 the addition of a little glucose, this solution is allowed to perfuse 

 the kidney, the glomerular epithelium does not retain any glucose. 

 Systematical investigation, howevei', enabled them to modify the 

 circulating fluid in such a way that the glomerular epithelium 

 obtained the property to retain the physiological amount of glucose 

 (0,060 — OT^/J This circulating fluid was of the following composition : 

 NaC10,5V„ NaHCO, 0,2 -0,285 7o, CaCI/6 aq 0,04 '/„, KCl 0,01 %. 

 Also for other organs of the frog the proper physiological fluid was 

 found after systematical investigation (for the movements of the 

 stomach on excitation of the N. vagus '), for the movements of the 

 rectum '), for formation and solution of biliary concrements) *). All these 

 researches have shown that the efficiency of the circulating fluid 

 depends on the amount of free calcium-ions ^). Also in warm-blooded 

 animals the concentration of Ca-ions appeared to play a prominent 

 part: here we allude to the investigations on haemolysis") and on 



^) H. J. Hamburger and R. Brinkman, These Proceedings Vol. XIX, p. 989 

 and Vol. XX, p, 668. See also Biochem. Zeitschr. 88, 97, 1918. 



^) Brinkman and van Dam, These Proc. 18 Dec. 1920. 



■*) Demonstration by van Greveld at the Conference of Physiologists at Amst. 

 22 Dec. 1921, 



*) Bolt and Heeres, Ned. Tijdschr. v. Geneesk. 65, 2d half N». 10, 1921. Also 

 Pflüger's Archiv f. d. ges. Physiol, (not out yet). 



I") Cf. also H. J. Hamburger, Permeability in Physiology and Pathology, Lancet 2, 

 1055, 1921. 



6) Brinkman, Biochem. Zeitschr. 95, 101, 1919. 



