1918] 
BONNS—ETHERIZATION AND ENZYME ACTIVITY 243 
EFFECT ON METABOLISM 
As already stated, an adequate survey of the vast field 
of medical literature dealing with the varied reactions of the 
animal mechanism to narcotics does not come within the 
scope of the present paper. The writer here cites only the 
few investigations relating most closely to plant metabolism 
studies which have been noted in a search of the literature 
dealing with the work in plant physiology. 
Hegar and Kaltenbach (’70) noted a marked albuminuria 
following chloroform narcosis in many, but not in all, cases 
observed. More recently Winterstein (’02) carried out per- 
fusion experiments with frogs to determine the relation of 
narcotics to metabolic action. On the assumption that there 
exists a direct connection with nervous response and metabolic 
function, his data indicate that in ether or chloroform nar- 
cosis both assimilation and dissimilation are retarded to the 
same degree. Failing to accept such an assumption, which, 
in the light of present knowledge, we are not forced to do, 
this relationship remains unproved. 
Hawk (’04) reported that glycosuria always followed ether 
anaesthesia in dogs. Baldwin (’05) states that urine fol- 
lowing anaesthesia showed higher specific gravity, was more 
strongly acid in reaction, and showed excretion of acetone, 
indicating a distinct action of anaesthetics on metabolism. 
The observations of Ross and McGuigan (715) showed that 
the hyperglycaemia following the anaesthetizing of animals 
was due in greater part to the ether itself and not to asphyxia 
or excitement. Watanabe (717) confirmed the glycosuria 
findings of Hawk by experiments with rabbits. 
In the plant field one of the most important studies of 
metabolic action following anaesthesia has been contributed 
by Johannsen (’97). Since this work was published in Danish, 
the inaccessibility of the data to the majority of botanical 
students warrants a somewhat detailed abstract of the re- 
sults. The object of the investigation as a whole was to de- 
termine the relative influence of anaesthetics upon the me- 
tabolism of plants in ripening and resting stages. Preliminary 
experiments with peas freshly picked and others gathered 
