140 Prof. B. Moore. On tlie Synthesis of [June 15, 



The mucosa was scraped off the inner surface of the intestine by 

 rubbing with the back of a knife, and the soft uniform mass so 

 obtained was gathered in a heap and chopped up on a glass plate. 

 It was then transferred to a mortar and rubbed up alone or mixed 

 with fine sand. 



Portions were weighed out and treated with definite amounts of the 

 extractives used, in an incubator at 36 C. for varying times.* 



When the action of the cells was to be tested, the ingredients to 

 be acted upon were added when the cells were first placed in the 

 incubator; but when cell-free extracts were to be tested, the tissue 

 treated as above described was allowed to undergo previous digestion 

 for a variable period. The extract was then filtered off, thoroughly 

 centrifugalised, and the clear extract was used for the experiment. 



In the case of the pancreas and abdominal lymphatic glands, the 

 tissue was first finely minced and subsequently treated in similar 

 fashion to the intestinal mucosa. 



The strength of extract employed was not the same in all the 

 experiments, and is stated in each individual case. 



The soap used was sodium oleate prepared from pure olive oil. The 

 oleic acid obtained by hydrolysis from this soap had a melting point 

 of 17-5 C., and 0-214 grammes required 7 '6 c.c. of T V N caustic soda 

 for neutralisation, the theoretical amount being 7 '57 c.c. 



Series A. 



Expt. 1. Small intestine of cat during digestion of bread ; no fat visible iii 

 lacteals, saline extract of 1 in 4, digested in incubator at 33 C. for 90 hours 

 previous to addition of soap (2 per cent.) and glycerine (0'5 per cent.). 



All the oleate dissolved, giving a clear solution ; 1 hour later a few oily drops 

 were visible in the solution under the microscope. Next morning (interval 

 17 hours 30 minutes) the fluid was yellow and cloudy like an emulsion, and some 

 microscopic drops of fatty material were found floating on the surface of the fluid. 

 Under the microscope a large number of oily globules of varying size were visible. 



Expt. 2. A like experiment on the abdominal lymphatic glands of the same 

 animal, in saline extract of 1 in 5, same period of 90 hours previous digestion at 

 33 C. in incubator. 



The extract, after centrifugalising, formed a clear reddish -yellow fluid in which 

 no cellular elements were present when examined under the microscope ; JO c.c. of 

 this fluid in a test-tube had 0'2 gramme of sodium oleate and 0*052 gramme of 

 glycerine added, and the clear solution so obtained was heated in a water-bath to 

 38'5 C. 



The experiment was commenced at 6 P.M., and next morning at 10.30 A.M. 

 (interval = 16 hours 30 minutes) there was a thick yellow oily layer on the top 



* During most of the experiments chloroform was added to prevent bacterial 

 growth, but to make certain that cellular activity was not inhibited by the 

 presence of the chloroform, in certain experiments it was not added, and in these 

 experiments the extractions were made by previously boiled salt solution or water. 



