216 



On the Action of Anwst/ietics on Protoplasm. 



CO 



The nerve showed itself, under the conditions of the experiment, 

 less sensitive to the action of C0 2 than was Elodea, and the latter 

 was less sensitive than an active Myxomycete plasmodium (of Bad- 

 hamia) similarly treated. 



Ether vapour in air passed over the plant for two minutes caused a 

 speedy arrest of all movement, and the quiescent condition persisted 

 for some minutes longer. Recovery then ensued and the normal 

 rate of movement was slowly regained. With dilute ether vapour 

 (below 10 per cent, in air) insufficient to anaesthetise the nerve, the 

 protoplasmic circulation was unaffected. 



Chloroform. The action of chloroform proved to be far more 

 deadly than that of ether. Movement was arrested in less than a 

 minute, and two minutes' exposure to the full action of its vapour 

 caused the death of the cell. 



When a more diluted vapour (about 2 per cent, in air) was passed 

 over the cell for two minutes recovery ultimately occurred. 



The action of ether and chloroform, especially the latter, was very 

 marked in causing many of the chlorophyll granules, which had pre- 

 viously been almost restricted to the lateral walls, and hence had 

 presented their edges to the incident light, to become dispersed over 

 the surface of the cell, where they were fully exposed, over their 

 largest area to the light. The action of carbon dioxide as observed 

 in these experiments was not nearly so pronounced. This phenome- 

 non is such as might have been anticipated as a result of the paralysis, 

 temporary or permanent, of the protoplasm. 



