396 
normal two-day periods the excretion of allantoin 
N ranged from 27.0 to 31.8, that of purine N 
from 4.7 to 10.3 milligrams. On five periods, each 
interpolated between two normal ones, doses of 
0.5, 0.5, 1.0, 1.0 and 2.0 grams sodium nucleate 
were administered. Of the purine N thus fed 90, 
56, 41, 24 and 29 per cent., respectively, of the 
theoretically possible was recovered in the form of 
allantoin and urinary purines. Of the amount so 
recovered 79 to 98 per cent. took the form of allan- 
toin; after the second dose of 0.5 gram 2 per 
cent., and after 2.0 grams 9 per cent. appeared as 
uric acid. In normal periods allantoin accounted 
for 71-87 per cent., in nucleate periods 77-86 per 
cent. of the total purine-allantoin N. In respect 
of the ratio between allantoin and purine excretion 
the species examined resembles the lower mammals 
rather than man. On the other hand, we did not 
meet with the almost quantitative conversion of 
exogenous purines into allantoin, which has been 
reported for the dog. 
H. S. REED and H. S. StauL: Oxidizing Enzymes 
in Certain Fungi Pathogenic for Plants. 
The oxidizing ability of the plant extract is 
often altered as a result of the invasion of para- 
sitic fungi. The extracts of apples invaded by 
Spheropsis malorum show no oxidizing powers 
whatever. Apples attacked by Glomerella rufo- 
maculans show, on the contrary, a somewhat in- 
creased oxidizing ability. When grown in pure 
culture on synthetic media Glomerella develops 
oxidizing enzymes in certain media but not in 
others. 
WALDEMAR KocH: Should the Term Protagon be 
Retained? 
Data were presented which indicated that the 
preparations referred to as protagon contain at 
least three substances: a phosphatid containing 
cholin, a eerebrosid containing sugar, a complex 
combination of a cholin-free phosphatid with a 
cerebrosid to which an ethereal sulphuric acid 
group is attached. The term protagon can not, 
therefore, be said to have any chemical signifi- 
cance. The details will be presented in a more 
extended publication. 
WituiAM J. Gies: Modified Collodion Membranes 
for Studies of Diffusion. (From the Laboratory 
of Biological Chemistry of Columbia University, 
at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New 
York.) 
Lipins and many substances which dissolve in 
ether, alcohol and similar solvents can be dissolved, 
in large proportions, in U.S. P. collodion solution. 
SCIENCE 
[N.S. Vou. XXXV. No. 897 
Such mixed solutions, when treated in any of the 
usual ways for the production of collodion mem- 
branes, yield composite homogeneous products. 
Lecithin, cholesterol, lard, olive oil, rubber, aleohol- 
ether-soluble protein, organic pigments, ferric sul- 
focyanate and many other substances have been 
incorporated homogeneously in such modified col- 
lodion membranes, which show interesting differ- 
ences in permeability. 
Morris 8S. Fine: A Method for Differentiating 
between Metabolic and Residual Food Nitrogen 
of the Feces. (From the Sheffield Laboratory 
of Physiological Chemistry, Yale University, 
New Haven, Conn.) 
As a rule the methods previously employed for 
this purpose have not taken into account the fact 
that the indigestible materials, e. g., cellulose and 
hemicellulose such as are present in cereals, 
legumes, etc., show a marked tendency to increase 
the elimination of fecal material. The following 
procedure is believed to offer certain advantages 
over those hitherto proposed. From the fecal 
nitrogen accruing from a given diet is subtracted 
the corresponding value resulting from a non- 
nitrogenous diet, yielding practically the same 
amount of feces. Such a non-nitrogenous diet may 
be conveniently obtained by adding agar agar to 
non-nitrogenous food whose calorific equivalent 
does not differ materially from that of the diet 
under investigation. The result thus obtained 
represents the amount of nitrogen of the latter 
diet which has actually escaped utilization. 
E. Monroe BattEy: Biochemical and Bacteriolog- 
ical Studies of the Banana. 
An earlier study’ has been extended. Hnzymes 
concerned in ripening processes have been investi- 
gated, and in addition bacteriological and chem- 
ical examinations of the fruit in various stages of 
maturation have been made. Amylase, sucrase, 
raffinase, protease, lipase and peroxidase were de- 
tected. Tests for maltase, dextrinase and lactase 
were doubtful or negative. The inner portions of 
the pulp of sound fruits appear to be sterile, but 
the regions of the inner coats of the peel may be 
sparsely inhabited by bacteria. As ripening pro- 
gresses, starch disappears and the content of alco- 
hol-soluble sugars and dextrins increases. Maltose 
could not be detected. 
CHARLES L. Parsons, 
Secretary 
(To be continued) 
1 Journal Biological Chemistry, I., pp. 4 and 5, 
1906. 
