January 24, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



117 



to be a straight line, parallel or nearly par- 

 allel with the atmospheric abscissa. 



16. S. J. Meltzee : On the mode of ab- 

 sorption from the peritoneal cavity in rabbits. 

 (With I. Adler.) 



In the recent literature on the physiol- 

 ogy of absorption a number of writers have 

 expressed the surprising opinion that the 

 lymphatics assist but little in the absorption 

 from the serous cavities. With regard to 

 this question Meltzer and Adler made two 

 sets of experiments on rabbits. In the 

 first set 100 cc. of a saline solution were in- 

 troduced into the peritoneal cavity (the 

 animals were always well narcotized), and 

 removed again after 40 minutes. In order 

 to exclude the lymphatics, in some rabbits 

 the innominate veins were ligated. While 

 in a large number of normal rabbits the 

 quantity absorbed in 40 minutes was about 

 35 cc; in those with ligated lymphatic 

 ducts it was about 18 to 12 cc. The au- 

 thors, however, avoid drawing- the conclu- 

 sion from these experiments that the lym- 

 phatics are of great importance to the ab- 

 sorption, since some normal rabbits showed 

 poor absorption, and, in fact, in two cases 

 more fluid was taken out than was put in. 

 In the other set of experiments for each 

 rabbit with ligated innominate veins a con- 

 trol rabbit was taken, whose external jugu- 

 lar veins were ligated. Both animals were 

 alike in regard to the venous stasis of their 

 brains, but differed as to their lymphatics; 

 in one they were excluded, and in the other 

 they were not. The same dose of strych- 

 nine was injected into the abdominal cav- 

 ity of each ; the one with the lymphatics 

 open had a tetanic attack, the other was 

 attacked either not at all or much later. 

 The same was seen when about 1.5 cc. of 

 5 % potassium ferrocyanide was injected, 

 and the urine was tested. The Prussian 

 blue reaction appeared in the rabbit with 

 ligated lymphatics, an hour or an hour and 



a half later than in the rabbit with open 

 lymphatics. This shows distinctly what 

 importance the lymphatics have for the ab- 

 sorption from the peritoneal cavity. 



'17. S. J. Meltzee : On the incorrectness 

 of the often quoted experiments of Starling and 

 Tubby with reference to the mode of absorption 

 from the peritoneal cavity in dogs. 

 As an important argument for the theory 

 that the fluid from the peritoneal cavity 

 enters the circulation directly through the 

 walls of the blood vessels and not by the 

 long way of the lymphatics, the experi- 

 ments of Starling and Tubby are often 

 quoted. Starling and Tubby have made 

 only three experiments, and have published 

 one protocol only, which is in the main as 

 follows : 40 cc. of indigo carmine were in- 

 troduced into the abdominal cavity; 2 min- 

 utes after the injection the urine was dark 

 blue, while a half hour later the lymph 

 showed a bluish tinge. Meltzer has re- 

 peated these experiments and found quite a 

 different result. Potassium ferrocyanide or 

 indigo carmine appeared in the lymph from 

 the thoracic duct about 14 minutes after 

 their introduction into the peritoneal cavity, 

 but in the urine only after an hour or more. 

 Moreover, even after the injection of indigo 

 carmine directly into the circulation, 23 

 minutes elapsed before the urine became 

 blue. 



18. F. S. Locke : On the action of ether 

 on contracture and on positive kathodie polari- 

 zation of voluntary muscle, 

 Mr. Locke described experiments, the 

 graphic records of which were shown, in 

 which the action of ether on striated muscle 

 under the influence of various contrac- 

 ture-conditioning agents was investigated. 

 Under etherization the normal twitch of 

 short duration reappears. The relation of 

 this result to Biedermann's positive katho- 

 die polarization of striated muscle was 



