10 CHEMICAL AGENTS AND PROTOPLASM [Cn. I 



becomes immobile and dies in from 15 to 30 minutes. The 

 nucleoplasm is less energetically acted upon than the cyto- 

 plasm. Upon swarm-spores, which are highly responsive to 

 light (p. 182), weak solutions of ether and chloroform have 

 such an effect that without preventing locomotion they destroy 

 the power of responding to the stimulus of the external agent. 

 So, too, the migrations of the chlorophyll in Metaphyta * under 

 the influence of light (see p. 189) is prevented. Ciliata are 

 slightly paralyzed, for the period of the contractile vacuole is 

 diminished. The whole cell body becomes distended with water, 

 and the trichocysts are exploded. (SCHURMAYER, '90, p. 453.) 

 When chloroform water is slowly applied to leucocytes they 

 acquire a spherical form ; when quickly applied they become 

 immobile without change of form. The first effect is a very 

 intense increase in movements, especially of the ectosarc. 

 Ultimate washing in serum suffices to restore the leucocyte 

 to its wonted activity ; so that it has not been killed, but only 



anaesthetized. (DEMOOR, '94, p. 217.) 



/OH 



Chloral hydrate, CC1 3 C OH, which is closely related to 



\H 



/Cl 



chloroform, Cl C Cl, acts similarly as a protoplasmic ames- 



\H 



thetic. A 0.1% solution kills Infusoria, Rotifera, and diatoms 

 in 24 hours, but filamentous algse and Nematoda withstand it. 



Sulphonal in 0.1% solution is less injurious than the pre- 

 ceding, since during 24 hours the above-mentioned organisms 

 are uninjured. (LoEW, '93, p. 25.) 



Upon the effect of alcohols on protoplasm, extended experi- 

 ments have recently been made by TSUKAMOTO ('95). These 

 reveal in much detail the peculiarities of action of the different 

 kinds. I give three tables showing the time of resistance in 

 hours of various organisms to the various alcohols, constructed 

 from data furnished by his paper. 



* ELFING, F. ('86, pp. 47-51). The swarm-spores employed belonged to the 

 species Chlamydomonas pulvisculus. The strengths of the solutions which 

 inhibit their response without stopping locomotion are : of ether, 1% to 5% ; of 

 chloroform, 12% to 25%. The migration of chlorophyll in Mesocarpus is in- 

 hibited by a 1% to 2% ether solution. 



