MARINE SCIENCE 177 
COMMUNICATION From Dr. Ross F. NIGRELLI, Director, LABORATORY OF MARINE 
BIOCHEMISTRY & EcoLoagy, THE NEw York AQUARIUM, BrooKLyN, N.Y. 
Makrcu 8, 1961. 
Hon. WakREN G. Maanuson, 
US. Senate, Washington, D.C. 
Drak SENATOR Macnuson: Thank you very much for your kind letter of 
February 27. I read with considerable interest your speech on the national 
marine science program and the bill 8. 901 that will implement this program. 
Both are excellent, and it is my fond hope that no delay will be encountered in 
starting the lines of research suggested in them. These should have far-reach- 
ing effects to the economy and health of our Nation and to help secure the 
national defense. 
I am sorry to inform you that I will not be able to attend the hearings sched- 
uled for March 15, 16,17. I am committed to meet with various Federal, State, 
and university scientists on a “swing trip” through some of our Western States 
to discuss a problem of great importance to the trout hatcheries in this country. 
Some years ago I indicated to fishery biologists that the possibility existed that 
our beautiful, native rainbow trout may be susceptible to liver cancer under the 
artificial conditions that are presently employed in our hatcheries. In the early 
part of 1960, liver tumors were noticed in rainbow trout in California and 
Washington, and this condition has since been found to be widespread in all 
hatcheries in this country. I am reporting this item to point out one of the 
problems that illustrates the importance of including the Public Health Service 
in your proposed program of marine science. Cancer is found among all fishes, 
and the growths are no different from those that occur in man and in animals 
generally. 
I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate what I previously suggested 
and which you recorded in your speech of February 9, namely that: Marine 
organisms may be the source of important pharmacological agents. In addition 
to the general statements and the few specific items cited in your report, I 
would like to refer you to pages 257-259 of my presidential address to the New 
York Academy of Sciences in December 1957, entitled “Dutchman’s Baccy 
Juice, or Growth-Promoting and Growth-Inhibiting Substances of Marine 
Origin.” 
May I call to your attention a few of the more interesting biochemicals that 
have been isolated from the tissues and body fluids of fish and many inverte- 
brates? For example, (1) ergosterol and dihydro-ergosterol from the marine 
annelid Arenicola, (2) morrhuic acid from the liver of codfish, the sodium and 
copper salts of which are effective as a reticulo-endothelial stimulant and as a 
sclerosing agent, (3) tetra-ethyl-ammonium chloride and related quaternary am- 
monium compounds from sea anemones and numerous other marine inverte- 
brates, which are known to have the autonomic actions both of the muscarinic 
and nicotinic types, (4) trignonelline (nictoinic-methyl-betaine), a common plant 
alkaloid, which also occurs in sea urchins and jellyfish, (5) amine oxidase from 
the molluse, Sepia, an enzyme that is active in the oxidative deamination of 
tyramine, (6) sulfatases from numerous snails, especially periwinkles, and 
(7) thiaminase from herrings, smelts, clams and other bivalves. 
I would also like to call special attention to two more important compounds. 
Murexine or urocanyl-choline has been isolated from glands of the snail, Murez, 
by Prof. V. Erspamer of Italy. This substance has very strong nicotinic and 
curariform actions, and Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) is now known to be 
abundant in clams, octopus, jellyfish and many other marine invertebrates. This 
chemical has been found in the blood, brain and certain tumors of man, and Dr. 
Irvine H. Page (Scientific American, vol. 197, No. 6, pp. 52-56, 1957) has stated 
that “Serotonin may well become a capital clue to the biochemistry of sanity 
and insanity.” 
In addition, basic types of compounds that have been identified as derivatives 
from marine animals and algae include many new sterols, lipids, carotenoids, 
porphyrins, pterins, peptides, new types of nucleosides, all the known and many as 
yet unindentified kinds of amino acids, glycoproteins, polysaccharides, alkaloids, 
vitamins, hormones, enzymes, antibiotics and others. Of special interest are the 
numerous toxic compounds that are known to occur in marine organisms. Their 
potential use as drugs has been suggested by several investigators. 
I am enclosing two timely articles on “Research in the Seas” that were written 
by Dr. Howard A. Rusk and published in the New York Times on February 26 
