764 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIV. No. 624. 



Murlin, Norris, Park, Richards, Salant, 

 Schwyzer, Shaffer, Torrey, Wallace, Wolf, 

 Wood, Yerkes.^ 



Abstracts of Original Communications^ 



The Formation of Glycogen from Sugars ty 

 Muscle, with a demonstration of a perfusion 

 apparatus: R. A. Hatcher and C. G. L. 

 Wolf. 



Contrary to the findings of Kiilz, saccharose 

 does not yield glycogen in muscle. Glucose 

 is a direct glycogen-former in muscle. No 

 glycogen is formed from either glucose or 

 saccharose in the glycogen-free muscles of 

 animals which have been starved and treated 

 with strychnin. 



A perfusion apparatus was shown which 

 permits the simultaneous and separate per- 

 fusion of the hind limbs of an animal and 

 the arterialization of the blood by the lungs 

 of two animals, each pair of lungs being used 

 for an individual limb. 



Bile Media in Typhoid Diagnosis: B. H. 



Buxton. 



In the author's work 10 c.c. of blood, drawn 

 directly from a vein, were distributed into 

 three flasks containing 20 c.c. each of steril- 

 ized ox bile. This medium was used with 

 great success in typhoid diagnosis. 



The Inconstant Action of Muscles: Warren 



P. Lombard and P. M. Abbott. 



The movements of the hind leg of the frog, 

 which are generally ascribed to finely adjusted 

 nervous coordination, are in fact largely the 

 result of the mechanical conditions under 

 which the muscles act. These conditions dif- 

 fer with each new position of the bones enter- 

 ing into the joints of the limb, and conse- 

 quently alter the effect of the contraction of 

 the muscles as the positions of the bones 

 change during the course of any given move- 

 ment. Thus a muscle which in one position 

 of a bone acts as a flexor, in another position 



^ The abstracts presented in this account of the 

 proceedings have been greatly condensed from ab- 

 stracts prepared by the authors themselves. The 

 latter abstracts of the communications may be 

 found in number one of volume four of the 

 society's proceedings. 



acts as an extensor, and a muscle which in one 

 position of a bone may carry it dorsally, in 

 another position may carry it ventrally. Mani- 

 festly it is absurd to try to class muscles as 

 flexors and extensors, for example, or to try 

 to name them according to the movements 

 which they are supposed to produce. A study 

 of central coordination must be postponed 

 until the effects of peripheral coordination 

 based on joint and muscle mechanics has been 

 ascertained. 



The Senses and Intelligence of the Chinese 

 Dancing Mouse: Robert M. Terkes. 

 For a few days during the first month of 

 post-natal life dancing mice respond definitely 

 to sounds, but neither direct nor indirect 

 methods of testing auditory sensitiveness fur- 

 nish any evidence of it in the adult. Bright- 

 ness vision is fairly acute; color vision is 

 poorly developed. In visual discrimination 

 the mice apparently depend upon brightness 

 differences. The behavior of the dancing 

 mouse is readily modifiable. Modifications of 

 behavior occur more rapidly in the male than 

 in the female. Individual differences in plas- 

 ticity and in the permanency of modification 

 are marked. There is little evidence of any 

 form of imitative tendency in behavior. 



On the Motor Activities of the Alimentary 

 Canal after Splanchnic and Vagus Section, 

 W. B. Cannon. (Presented by S. J. 

 Meltzer.) 



Movements of the Esophagus. — Splanchnic 

 section resulted in no deviation from the nor- 

 mal. Bilateral vagus section resulted in the 

 well-known paralysis of the thoracic esoph- 

 agus. A distinction must be drawn between 

 the immediate paralyzing effect on the esoph- 

 agus of cutting the vagi, and the later partial 

 or almost complete recovery of efficiency by a 

 local mechanism in the esophageal wall. 



Movements of the Stomach. — Splanchnic 

 section caused no alteration from the normal 

 movements. The immediate effect of vagus 

 section was tardiness in the starting of gastric 

 peristalsis after food was introduced into the 

 stomach. Again a distinction must be drawn 

 between the first and the later effects of vagus 

 section. 



