258 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. No. 660 



about three thirty-seconds of an inch bore, 

 " drawn " enough in one place to make the 

 water, level appreciably above D at slow rates 

 of drop. A jar seven or eight inches high and 

 three or four inches wide will be plenty large 

 enough for T, and V need not be so tall. 



I have made a number of record tests of the 

 time accuracy of the drop, and find that it 

 is perfectly reliable for one second to one 

 eighth second, as shown by comparison with a 

 256-vibration fork. The drop will run much 

 faster than one tenth second, if the size is 

 properly controlled by the means mentioned 

 above, but my key is too clumsy to record 

 well much beyond one eighth. With a slight 

 change in thor key that difficulty will be 

 obviated. From one second to six seconds my 

 first records showed an apparent variation. 

 These records for the longer periods were not 

 intended to be extremely close, and were taken 

 with a Zimmermann chronograph. I found 

 later that the variation was in the chrono- 

 graph, and have not yet tested these intervals 

 with the tuning fork. Compared with a 

 pendulum record, they appear perfectly regu- 

 lar. Intervals longer than six seconds I have 

 not employed at all, although the apparatus 

 is capable of furnishing them. 



This device may be put to a variety of uses 

 about a psychological laboratory. In addition 

 to work in rhythm, I find it useful for time- 

 records on the kymograph, for intermittent 

 stimulation in work in fluctuation of atten- 

 tion, and for a time guide for an experimenter 

 in the employment of definite intervals of 

 preparation for a stimulus or between suc- 

 cessive steps of an experiment. The key may 

 be adjusted to give a regularity of current 

 strength far greater than that of even mer- 

 cury contacts of other time machines, making 

 the apparatus especially valuable where this 

 condition is of great importance, as in the 

 rhythm and attention experiments. 



Knight Dunlap 

 Johns Hopkins University 



generally to slightly increase the phagocytic 

 action of the poljrmorphous mentrophiles but 

 in some cases it slightly inhibits. 



In vitro an inhibitory effect, together with 

 some laking was found when the strength of 

 the sulphate ranged from 1/1,000 to 1/15,000 

 while from 1/16,000 to 1/1,000,000 dilution 

 there was increased phagocytosis in periods 

 ranging from 30 to 60 minutes, being most 

 marked at a strength of 1/75,000. There was 

 noted in all suspensions, which contained 

 more than 1/20,000 of quinine sulphate, a 

 marked absence of the granules from the 

 polymorphous neutrophiles. The cell mem- 

 brane was often gone. Vacuoles were very 

 frequently present. As contrasted with those 

 in the unquinized specimens their cytoplasm 

 showed diminished staining powers which was 

 strong evidence of the destructive action 

 favored by the quinine. 



A simple method requiring only a few hours 

 for its accomplishment has also been worked 

 out for studying in vitro the effect of any 

 drug on opsonic index and in connection with 

 the latter subject a means of standardizing 

 the virulency of any organism has been sug- 

 gested. 



Thos. M. Wilson 



Hull Physiological Laboeatoby, 

 Uhtveesity of Chicago 



BOTANICAL NOTES 

 farm botany 

 Foe botanists who nlay wish to learn some- 

 thing more about wheat, oats, barley and 

 corn (maize) than is to be found in the ordi- 

 nary botanical works, the little book, " Ex- 

 amining and Grading Grains " (Ginn), by 

 Professors Lyon and Montgomery will be 

 found useful. Many a botanist will be sur- 

 prised at the number of things which may be 

 seen in a careful study of these common 

 plants. For classes in applied botany in 

 agricultural schools and colleges it must prove 

 very helpful. 



ON QUININE SULPHATE AND HUMAN BLOOD 



Quinine sulphate when administered in 

 small doses to healthy students has been found 



fossil IOWA PLANTS 



Professor Macbride's paper on " Certain 

 Fossil Plant Eemains in the Iowa Herbar- 



