[Vol. 2 



248 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 



Buhland's experiments especially were not at all favorable 

 to the lipoid-hypothesis. They show decidedly the error of 

 the opinion that only those aniline dyes penetrate into living 

 cells which are soluble in oil. Many aniline dyes have been 

 found which are easily taken up by cell protoplasm in spite 

 of their insolubility in fat, while other coloring matters which 

 easily dissolve in fat do not penetrate at all through the living 

 plasmatic layer. Ruhland, as well as Kiister, drew from 

 such experiments the convincing conclusion that substances 

 readily soluble in lipoids may not always be readily taken 

 up by the living cells. But in other respects it seems as if 

 Ruhland had gone too far when he denied that protoplasm 

 possesses any fat content. He emphasized that he never could 

 detect any microscopical trace of plasmatic substances which 

 may be stained by means of such aniline dyes as are readily 



stored by fat. 



Since our own experiments seem to be in some accord with 

 the view that fatty matter really is present in protoplasm, I 

 wanted to compare some chemical systems which are entirely 

 free from fat with protoplasm in respect to its behavior 

 toward alcohols. It could be taken as a proof of the view that 

 protoplasm does not contain fatty bodies, if there were noticed 

 no difference between the effects of alcohols on the physical 

 properties of such systems and on protoplasm. The investi- 

 gations of Mr. Geo. H. Chapman in our laboratory were begun 

 in order to examine the influence of different narcotics on 

 enzymes. Surprisingly, the results were opposed to the above- 

 mentioned view of similar action with respect to these systems. 

 This work clearly showed that the capillarity- rule which is so 

 distinctive of the effects of narcotics on living protoplasm 

 does not apply to the effects of narcotics on enzymes. While 

 the deleterious influence of methyl, ethyl, and propyl alcohol 

 gradually increases with the molecular weight of these homol- 

 ogous substances, the higher members such as butyl and 

 amyl alcohol act considerably less on enzymes, and both heptyl 

 and octyl alcohol have practically no weakening influence on 

 these ferments. In respect to their coagulation by diluted 

 alcohol protein solutions show relations corresponding to 



