November 30, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



543 



conductivity of living tissue enable us to follow 

 the process of death in the same manner as we 

 foUow chemical reactions in vitro. The process 

 usually proceeds as a monomolecular reaction 

 which is somewhat accelerated or inhibited at the 

 start. It is probable that we have to do with 

 consecutive reactions, in which case the acceleration 

 or inhibition is easily explained. The same as- 

 sumption enables us to give a quantitative ex- 

 planation of injury and of recovery. 



The dynumics of pJioto synthesis: W. J. V. Os- 

 TERHOUT and A. E. C. Haas. When plants of 

 Ulva are taken from darkness and exposed to light 

 the process of photosynthesis goes on at a regu- 

 larly increasing speed until a steady rate is 

 reached. This may be explained by assuming that 

 a catalyst is produced in light. The values cal- 

 culated upon this hypothesis are in good agree- 

 ment with the observed values. 



Note on the physiological action of Cordyceps 

 sinensis: C. L. Alsberg and J. F. Brewster. It 

 is a practise among certain of the Chinese to ex- 

 tract the tufts caused by the growth of Cordyceps 

 sinensis on caterpillars and use the extract for 

 medicinal purposes. Extracts made both of the 

 tufts separately and of the tufts with the cater- 

 pillars when injected into rabbits proved to be 

 toxic. 



The influence of phosphates on the action of al- 

 phacrotonic acid on plants : J. J. Skinner and F. E. 

 EeH). Alpha crotonic acid in amounts of 25 and 

 50 p.p.m. was found to be very harmful to wheat 

 plants grown in nutrient culture solutions. The 

 solutions were composed of calcium acid phosphate, 

 sodium nitrate and potassium sulphate and were 

 prepared according to the triangular system. 

 Growth was reduced about 50 per cent, when the 

 material was used in amounts of 50 p.p.m. In 

 cultures containing 80 p.p.m. PjOj growth was re- 

 duced 30 per cent., in cultures containing 40 

 p.p.m. P^Os growth was reduced 45 per cent., and 

 in cultures with no P=Oj growth was reduced 55 

 per cent. When the material was used in the cul- 

 tures in amounts of 25 p.p.m. growth was reduced 

 about 30 per cent. In cultures having 80 p.p.m. 

 PsOj, growth was reduced 9 per cent., and in those 

 having 40 p.p.m. P^Oj, 28 per cent., and where 

 no P,Oc was present 34 per cent. Phosphate seemed 

 to have an ameliorating effect on the harmlessness 

 of the crotonic acid. NaHjPO, used in the place 

 of CaH, (POi): in the culture solutions had a simi- 

 lar effect on the action of the crotonic acid. Ex- 



periments using Na,HPOj and also NajPOi, showed 

 that each of these phosphate salts, regardless of 

 the character of the base, in combination had an 

 action antagonistic to the harmfulness of alpha- 

 crotonic acid. 



The oxidation of vanillin to vanillic acid by 

 certain soil bacteria: William J. Bobbins and 

 Elbert C. Lathrop. A bacterium, apparently 

 specific for vanillin, has been isolated from an 

 Alabama soil. This organism when grown in a 

 medium of inorganic salts with vanillin as the sole 

 source of carbon, in the course of five days com- 

 pletely oxidized vanillin to compounds of a non- 

 phenolic character. The first oxidation product 

 has been isolated and its identity as vanillic acid 

 has been established by the mixed melting points, 

 the crystalline form and solubilities, the color re- 

 actions, the neutralization equivalent, methoxyl de- 

 termination and organic combustion. By means 

 of color reactions the rate of oxidation of vanillin 

 to vanillic acid and the rate of the ensuing oxida- 

 tion of vanillic acid has been determined. Vanil- 

 lin has been found in a number of field soils and 

 the infertility of some of these soils may be due 

 to vanillin. Vanillic acid has also been shown to 

 be harmful to growing plants. The biological 

 oxidation of these harmful soil compounds and 

 the effect of fertilizer compounds on this biolog- 

 ical transformation is therefore of special interest 

 in soil fertility. 



The value of yeast "vitamine" as a supplement 

 to a rice diet: A. D. Emmett and L. H. McKim, 

 Eesearch Department of Parke, Davis & Co., De- 

 troit. The criteria for estimating the value of the 

 diet of polished rice supplemented with vitamine 

 for polyneuritic pigeons was to determine the rate 

 of fuU recovery of pigeons that had been brought 

 out of the typical polyneuritis attack by a treat- 

 ment of the Seidell yeast vitamine. This was in- 

 dicated by the body weight curves before and after 

 treatment. The control vitamine-containing diet 

 for the treated birds was natural xmpolished rice. 

 Other feeds were also used — corn, barley and oats. 

 It was found that this yeast vitamine preparation 

 was a most excellent agent for bringing about re- 

 covery from the typical attack of polyneuritis; 

 that, as a supplement to polished rice, when used 

 in rational amounts (equal to slightly more than 

 the dose needed for treatment) the diet was ade- 

 quate for producing moderate gains in weight, but 

 that these gains were much less than those ob- 

 tained with the control or unpolished rice diet. 

 Corn produced smaller gains than unpolished rice 



