1906] CURRENT LITERATURE 307 
The liverworts furnish most instructive examples of parallel structures, of 
which the author cites many instances.—C. R. B. 
Anaerobic respiration.—Inasmuch as PALLADIN and KostyTscHEW, work- 
ing independently, had agreed, contrary to the conclusions of several other 
observers, that anaerobic respiration was not identical with alcoholic fermenta- 
tion, it seemed good to them to reinvestigate the question. They now finds 
that while not identical in all plants and under all conditions, there are strikin 
coincidences. For example, in living lupine seeds and seedlings they consider 
the anaerobic respiration identical with alcoholic fermentation; but in frozen 
lupine seedlings and stem tips of Vicia Faba the former has nothing to do with the 
latter. In pea seeds and wheat embryos, living and frozen, there occurs a con- 
siderable formation of alcohol, and the anaerobic respiration is “in great part” 
alcoholic fermentation. They confirm the results of GODLEWSKI, STOCKLASA, 
and others regarding the presence of “‘zymase,” but think it yet remains to be 
shown that it is identical with yeast zymase. Under certain conditions aceton 
and its allies are formed, both in aerobic and anaerobic respiration of living and 
frozen plants. 
It becomes more and more evident that the course of the respiratory decom- 
position of the protoplasm may be varied.—C. R. B 
Thermal death-point.—Mryer® has determined a formula by which may 
be calculated the time necessary to kill bacteria at any given temperature, when 
observation has determined the time necessary at any two convenient tempera- 
tures, such as 80° and 100°, This rests upon the observation that the death 
Periods form a geometrical paar ie 2 decreasing with the increasing tempera- 
tures. Thus the formula is q= : , in which a is the first member of the 
Progression, ¢ any other known member, g the progression, » the number of 
terms. hes, Brau had determined the death period of Bacillus _subt subtilis at 
Too® as inutes, and at 80° as 4500 minutes. Whence q=) F500 =0.2. 
The is series then would be: 80°, 4500 minutes; 90°, goo minutes; 
100°, 180 minutes; 110° , 36 minutes; 120°, 7.2 minutes; 130°, 1.4 minutes; 
140°, 0.28 minutes or 17 ‘eo 150°, 3.4 seconds. The figures observed by 
EYER agree well with these calculations. In practice this has an important 
application in enabling one to calculate the supramaximal temperature, as 
ENGELMANN called it, i. e., the time necessary to kill any form instantly—say in 
-One second.—C, R. B. 
Gi Stay Peerage eee 
W., and KostytscuHew, S., Anaerobe Atmung, Alkoholgdrung 
und Acton bei pe Samenpflanzen. Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gessels. 24:273- 
285. 
f ste R, ARTHUR, Notiz iiber eine oe supramaximalen Tétungszeiten 4 
ende Gabino Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesells. 24: 340-52. 1906. 
