( 165 ) 



!'. This result leads to the conclusion that the decline of thepha- 

 gocytarian capacity produced by anisotonic serum , has its cause 

 principally in the alteration of the amount of water in the cells. 



10. Besides tlie modification of the amount of water in the cells, 

 another factor come* into play, namely the chemical change, which takes 

 pine consequently on the exchange of the contents of the cells with 

 those of their environment and which, as a matter of course, is 

 greater when the cell is surrounded by a simple solution of NaCl 

 than when placed in an isosmotic serum. This accounts for the tact, 

 that phagocytes which have been submitted to the action of hyper- 

 isotonic solutions of NaCl, when replaced into serum, exhibit a 

 somewhat greater phagocytarian power, than when they are trans- 

 ferred to a 0.9 °, solution of NaCl. In the latter case they have 

 not the opportunity, given them in the former, of regaining the 

 ions which they have lost in the anisotonic solutions of salt. 



11. It is very probable th.it the ions of Ca and of <>I1 belong 

 t<> this category. 



With regard to calcium, it has been proved that by the addition 

 to the serum of the minute quantity of O.Ol°/ CaCl, 6 aq, i.e. about 

 0.005 „ CaCl,, the phagocytarian power was raised by about 

 22.6 " ,. The inference is that ions of calcium must have penetrated 

 into the phagocytes. 



On the other hand it may be surmised that the phagocytes will 

 lose ions of calcium when the amount of calcium in the medium 

 is lower than that to which the phagocytes are accustomed. This 

 loss of ions of calcium must cause a diminution of the phagocytarian 

 jiower. 



We observe a similar result in the case of the OH-ions ; for our 

 experiments have demonstrated that decrease of these ions causes a 

 lowering of the phagocytarian power. A 5 °/ diminution of the 

 alkaline reaction of the sennit, which necessarily must lower the 

 amount of alkali in the phagocytes, produces a noticeable decline 

 in the phagocytarian capacity. 



1*2. Loeb and after him other investigators have pointed out, 

 that a pure solution of NaCl must be considered injurious to the 

 larvae of lower sea animals, the muscles of the heart, and those of 

 the intestines. This opinion does not liold for the phagocytes. The 

 proof of this assertion is found in the fact that in a solution of 

 NaCl isotonic with serum, the phagocytosis is almost as powerful as 

 in the serum itself. 



