EGG ALBUMEN AS A CULTURE MEDIUM FOR CHICK 



TISSUE. 



OLIVE SWEZY. 



Egg albumen as a culture medium for chick tissue in vitro 

 has received but scant attention from experimentalists, in spite 

 of the fact that it forms the natural medium, in part at least, of 

 the embryo chick. In a recent series of experiments, however, 

 results have been obtained which show that all the usual mani- 

 festations of cell activity, noted by various observers in other 

 culture media, were to be met with in cultures made from egg 

 albumen, and have, I believe, demonstrated satisfactorily its. 

 entire adaptability to that use. These experiments were carried 

 on in the laboratory of Prof. S. J. Holmes, to whom my thanks 

 are due for his kindness in giving advice and assistance through- 

 out the course of the work. 



The technique followed has been that outlined by Burrows and 

 Carrel, modified to suit the differenrt conditions under which the 

 work had to be carried on, using embryos varying in age from 

 twenty-four hours to fourteen days. Of these it was found that 

 the most successful results were obtained from embryos of from 

 ten to fourteen days growth, though all showed considerable 

 activity. Fragments of all the organs of the body, including the 

 brain and spinal cord, were used, but the most active growths were 

 obtained from the heart. Several series of preparations were 

 made by cutting up the entire embryo into minute particles in 

 a small amount of Ringer's solution and egg albumen, stirring 

 and shaking these rapidly for a few minutes and then placing a 

 small drop of the mixture on the slide and sealing in the usual 

 way. By this process cultures could be made containing but a 

 few or even single cells. The medium used has been egg albumen 

 alone or mixed with varying proportions of egg yolk. Ringer's 

 solution and extract of muscle tissue. Egg yolk proved entirely 

 unsatisfactory because of the impossibility of seeing what was 

 taking place within it. The best results were obtained from egg 



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