Fkbruaey 28. 19112.] 



SCIENCE. 



343 



larger quantities alcohol is detrimental, 

 diminishing the whole number of contrac- 

 tions, inducing early fatigue and diminish- 

 ing the amount of work that the muscle is 

 capable of doing, even to the extent of 

 doing away entirely with contractile power. 

 In moderate quantities the alcohol is, at 

 least temporarily, beneficial; in larger 

 quantities poisonous. After-effects have 

 not yet been studied. 



The Excretion of Lithmm: Mr. C. A. Good. 



(Presented by Professor A. R. Cushny, 



University of Michigan.) 



Lithium chloride injected hypodermic- 

 ally in poisonous doses is excreted in large 

 quantities by the alimentary tract. It is 

 here that the chief symptoms of poisoning 

 arise. 



On the Question whether Dextrose is Pro- 

 duced from Cellulose in Digestion: Pro- 

 fessor Geaham Lusk, New York Univer- 

 sity. 



The feeding of cellulose in the form of 

 paper to diabetic goats does not cause an 

 increase of sugar in the urine; therefore, 

 dextrose is not a product of the digestion 

 of cellulose. 



Experiments on the Relation Between the 

 Spleen and the Pancreas: Professor L. B. 

 Mendel, Yale, and L. F. Rettger. 

 These experiments were performed on 

 dogs, and show that the extract of the 

 spleen aids the transformation of the 

 zymogen of the pancreas into trypsin. Sim- 

 ilar results were obtained both within the 

 living body and outside. The observations 

 support the Schiff-Herzen hypothesis. 



The Role of the Cell Nucleus in Oxidation 

 and Synthesis : R. S. Lillie. (Presented 

 by Professor W. T. Porter, Harvard.) 



Neio Experiments on Allantoin Excretion: 

 Professor L. B. Mendel, Yale. 

 Rectal injections of thymus gland sub- 

 stance in dogs were followed by character- 



istic excretion of allantoin in the urine. 

 The diet was free from constituents yield- 

 ing purin. Vegetable nucleic acids and 

 nucleates from wheat germs experience 

 transformations in metabolism comparable 

 with those obtained from nucleins of ani- 

 mal origin. Allantoin and uric acid are 

 excreted in noticeable quantity. Other 

 physiological actions were studied after the 

 introduction of nucleic acid into the circu- 

 lation. 



Studies on Diuresis: Dr. J. T. Halsey, Mc- 



Gill. 



Nussbaum's experiments on the circula- 

 tion in and the function of the frog's kid- 

 ney have been repeated, and it has been 

 f oiind that in the kidney in which the renal 

 arteries have be^n tied some glomeruli are 

 still supplied by the blood. In such cases 

 the blood supply is so small that such 

 glomeruli may be considered as physiologic- 

 ally negligible quantities. It seems a neces- 

 sary conclusion that the substances which 

 are excreted by the kidney under these con- 

 ditions are excreted by the epithelium of 

 the uriniferous tubules. 



An Unrecognized Feature of Diuresis: 

 Professor A. R. Cushny, University of 

 Michigan. 



The author's experiments had led to a 

 conclusion somewhat the opposite of that 

 of the preceding paper. Excretion occurs 

 in the uriniferous tubules, but chlorides 

 and water are excreted there much more 

 readily than sulphates, phosphorus or 

 urea. 



The Physiological Effects of the Electrical 

 Charge of Ions, and the Electrical Char- 

 acter of Life Phenomena: Professor 

 Jacques Loeb, University of Chicago. 

 The author has found that the stimulat- 

 ing power of chemical substances varies 

 directly with the valence of the substance. 

 The paper reviewed also some of the 



