THE ACTION OF "AUXETICS" ON 

 ERYTHBOCYTES 



By EDWARD HALFOKD Ross 



IT has been discovered by H. C. Boss that certain 

 substances, which have been named by him 

 auxetics, have the power to induce cell-division in 

 lymphocytes, leucocytes, and certain other cells. 

 The methods by which such divisions may be 

 demonstrated have been fully described (1, 2). 

 Stated shortly, they consist in placing the cells to 

 be watched on a jelly under the microscope the 

 jelly containing the auxetics ; the auxetics are 

 caused to diffuse from the jelly into the cells by 

 the action of heat and alkali solution in the 

 presence of certain salts. Further research has 

 shown that auxetics belong to chemical groupings, 

 viz. amidines, amino-acids, and amines ; and a 

 number of them have been isolated. It has also 

 been discovered that the extracts of dead tissues 

 have the same action, probably on account of the 

 creatine and " globin " present in them, for these 

 substances are auxetics. 



Following this discovery, an attempt was made 

 to induce normal erythrocytes to divide by similar 



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