[Vor. 5 
256 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 
solutions of inorganic salts. "Traube (713) regards lipoid 
solubility as an accompanying phenomenon, and not the cause 
of narcotic action. According to his theory, the action of 
anaesthetics is caused not by their solution in the cell lipoids, 
but by adsorption and surface-condensation of these sub- 
stances at physiologically active surfaces; such surfaces may 
be of lipoid or protein nature. The action of narcotics, ac- 
cording to this view, is due to a lowering of the surface- 
tension rather than to lipoid solubility, such tension changes 
affecting the degree of adsorption and hence of narcotic 
action. 
Тайе (709, 9% (069 '11, "12, 7198, 218, 718%, "18", "14, 718, 
718) has devoted much attention to the effect of anaesthetics 
on the plasma membrane, working especially on the larvae 
of Arenicola and eggs of Arbacia. These contain a pigment, 
which, under proper osmotic conditions, passes into the sur- 
rounding medium. Proper solutions of electrolytes thus 
caused exosmosis, but the addition of certain narcotics to the 
same concentrations inhibited such action to varying degrees. 
In general, all anaesthetics were markedly injurious in strong 
concentrations, while in weaker ones they showed a protective 
action against the electrolyte. According to Lillie the sol- 
ubility relations between the lipoids of the membrane and 
the narcotics result in a reduction of permeability produced 
by increase in volume of the lipoid particles. The essential 
effect, according to Lillie, is a modification by narcotics of 
the physical properties of the plasma membrane of such 
nature that the latter, under the usual conditions of stimula- 
tion, fails to undergo the increase of permeability essential 
to such stimulus. А real stimulation must therefore involve 
a well-defined inerease of membrane permeability. 
The outstanding feature of the literature here surveyed is 
the variation in the effect produced by the same narcotic 
agent. Whatever the manifestation of activity in plant or 
animal that has been studied, the consensus of results points 
to a eondition of stimulation, inhibition, injury, or death, 
varying with the concentration used or the length of exposure. 
The theory advanced by Lillie appears to furnish an explana- 
