1028 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XV. No. 391. 



it is the benzoyl and the acetyl ions and 

 not the oxygen which does the germicidal 

 work. 



In close connection with this investiga- 

 tion there is another recent piece of work 

 suggestive of important problems in con- 

 nection with the chemistry and physiology 

 of plant poisons which I wish to allude to 

 before closing, and that is the paper by 

 Dr. A. P. Mathews entitled 'The Nature 

 of the Nerve Impulse,' published in the 

 March Century. This treats of nerve 

 stimulation and nerve paralysis on the 

 basis of our modern theories on the nature 

 of solution, a trend of investigation now 

 being carried on at the Hull Physiological 

 Laboratorj^ of the University of Chicago 

 under the direction of Dr. Jacques Loeb, 

 Professor of Physiology at the institu- 

 tion. The author's conclusions are as 

 follows : 



"It has been shown: first, that the 

 chemical stimulation of protoplasm is 

 really an electrical stimulation; second, 

 that the poisonous action of inorganic 

 salts is due to the electrical charges of the 

 salts and probably to the movements of 

 these charges: third, that the negative 

 charges stimulate protoplasm, while the 

 positive prevent stimulation, and if not 

 counteracted by the negative will destroy 

 life; fourth, that muscle contraction is 

 probably in its essence an electrical phe- 

 nomenon and that the conduction of a 

 nerve impulse is almost certainly an elec- 

 trical phenomenon ; fifth, for the first time 

 we have a physical explanation which 

 agrees with all the main known facts of 

 the nerve impulse and changes in irrita- 

 bility; sixth, we have secured a physical 

 explanation of the way in which an anes- 

 thetic produces its effect; seventh, we are 

 led to the hypothesis of the identity of 

 stimulation by light and by chemicals." 



The author does not, in this paper, dis- 

 cuss the possible effect of the ions of plant 



poisons, but it is difficult to see if his 

 theory really holds good for organic com- 

 pounds, why the complex eathion of so 

 many alkaloids should be so extremely 

 poisonous, and one is forced to wonder how 

 any acid ion could be found which could 

 be powerful enough to offset the toxic 

 effect. One is also tempted to wonder if 

 death can be the complete physiological op- 

 posite of life, for is there not a tremendous 

 difference between the automatically re- 

 versible character of the cell protoplasm 

 which enables it alternately and in rapid 

 succession to solidify and redissolve, and 

 the simple irreversible solid or liquid state 

 which is the result of death? 



In the foregoing paper I have attempted 

 briefly to discuss some of the practical, as 

 well as some of the theoretical, features of 

 plant poisons, throwing out suggestive 

 hints rather than concrete problems here 

 and there, and although I feel that the 

 ground has not been adequately covered, 

 I trust that at least some of you have been 

 interested in the discussion, and I venture 

 to express the hope that some of the sug- 

 gestions have fallen on good ground and 

 will result some day in a rich harvest of 

 facts giving solutions to some of the prob- 

 lems siiggested. 



V. K. Chesnut. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 

 Washington, D. C. 



SGIEIHTIFIG BOOKS. 



Reports on Plans for the Extermination of 

 Mosquitoes on the North Shore of Long 

 Island, hetween Hempstead Harhor and 

 Cold Spring Harhor. Published by the 

 Iforth Shore Improvement Association. 

 1902. Pp. 125. 



This is an extremely interesting and in some 

 ways a most remarkable publication. It is a 

 sign of the times that a number of men inter- 

 ested in a given territory should form them- 

 selves into an improvement association whose 

 principal aim seems to be to do away with the 



