118 ARTIFICIAL PARTHENOGENESIS AND FERTILIZATION 
oxygen or if the oxidations in the egg are retarded through the 
presence of KCN (see chap. x). This difficulty is, however, not 
real, if we assume that the corrective effect of the hypertonic 
solution consists in the production of a substance or a condition 
in the egg which cures it from the threatening’ disintegration 
or in the destruction of a substance or a condition which causes 
this disintegration. Such effects might be produced by a 
slight modification of the character of the processes of oxidation 
without its being necessary that the rate of oxidation be altered. 
TABLE XIII 
Fertilized Eggs in epernece Conn eenien 
Exp. I. Normal sea-water............ 60 min. 1.30 mg. 
50 c.c. sea-water+4 c.c. 24 m (NaCl+ 
KCl Cals) 2s aia rnen aeroseee 60 12 
Exp. II. Normal sea-water........... | 60 1.33 
50 c.c. sea-water-+12 c.c. 23 m (NaCl+ 
KCI Ca@ lL yceraare ko seer eee 60 153 
Exp. III. Normal sea-water.......... 60 1.33 
50 c.c. sea-water +16 c.c. 24 m (NaCl+ 
Ke@le-CaC lace cane isc creer 60 IE 5V/ 
Meyerhof raised the objection that the ratio between the con- 
sumption of oxygen and the production of heat was the same in 
eggs in hypertonic solutions as in normal sea-water. But I 
do not think that this objection speaks against my hypothesis, 
since it is only necessary that the hypertonic solution lead to the 
formation of a by-product in a very minute quantity, while this 
by-product is not formed when the eggs develop in normal sea- 
water. Such a slight qualitative modification of the oxidations 
could very well exist without resulting in a noticeable alteration 
of the ratio between oxidations and heat production in the egg. 
It is also possible that the effects of the products of oxidation 
are different in hypertonic and normal sea-water, and that this 
determines the corrective effect of the hypertonic solution. 
Such an assumption would also enable us to understand why 
- the withdrawal of oxygen for a longer period of time, namely, 
