94 PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY IN MEDICINE. 



that they increase more or less the irritability of nerves 

 and muscles, excite intestinal activity even to the point 

 of producing a gastro- enteritis, and usually increase blood- 

 pressure. The solvent action upon protein and, running 

 parallel with it, the physiological effects of the anions 

 are the more pronounced the further we pass along the 

 series of anions given above. The protein precipitating 

 salts, such as the sulphates, citrates, and tartrates, when 

 these are connected with the overbalancing properties 

 of the metallic ions, are all cathartics. The salts which 

 follow these, more especially the nitrates, bromides, io- 

 dides, and sulphocyanates, show the characteristics of the 

 anions; they are sedative in their action and decrease 

 blood-pressure. The relationship between them is in- 

 dicated also in the similarity with which they bring about 

 an acne and coryza. For the sulphocyanates these 

 pharmacological properties were deduced from the group- 

 ing given above and verified on patients. 



The experimental study of the effects of sulphocyanates 

 has proved fruitful in yet another way, in that the sulpho- 

 cyanate anions, representing as they do the last members 

 of the anion series, allow one to study the proper- 

 ties of anions in a particularly pure form. Sulpho- 

 cyanates can be used first of all in order to ascertain 

 more accurately the physiological relations between salts 

 and esters. Between the strongly ionized salts and the 

 scarcely dissociable esters (which represent combinations 

 between alcohols and acids) there exists a great difference 

 in their power of penetrating a cell. While the latter, 

 according to the extensive investigations of OVERTON, 

 readily enter a cell because of their solubility in its lipoids, 

 lecithin, cholesterin, cerebrin, etc., the salts enter the 



