344 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. No. 663 



At the autopsy, no sign of a ganglion could 

 be discovered on the left side. 



Intra-abdominal Pressures: Haven Emerson. 



In dogs the pressure varied from 2 to 45 mm. 

 of water above atmospheric, i. e., positive; in 

 cats from 2 to 20 mm. positive; in rabbits 

 from 2 to 25 mm. positive; in calves from 2 to 

 10 mm. positive. 



The causes of this persistent but fluctuating 

 positive pressure within the free peritoneal 

 cavity are the tone of the muscular walls of 

 the peritoneal cavity, including the diaphragm 

 and the pelvic floor. The contraction of the 

 diaphragm is the chief, if not the only factor 

 in the normal rise in pressure during inspira- 

 tion. 



Debilitated states show a low pressure. 

 Ether anesthesia causes a gradual drop in 

 pressure until, with complete loss of muscular 

 tone, the pressure reaches zero. Curare like- 

 wise causes a progressive fall to zero pressure. 

 Asphyxia develops great rises in pressure dur- 

 ing inspiration until muscular relaxation al- 

 lows a drop to zero just before death. 



Excessive pressure artificially produced with- 

 in the peritoneal cavity causes death from car- 

 diac failure before the obstruction to respira- 

 tory excursion has developed a marked as- 

 phyxia. The pressure is the same at all points 

 of the peritoneal cavity, and is subject to iden- 

 tical variations wherever the recording trocar 

 is placed. 



The physiological function of these pressure 

 conditions seems to be chiefly in assisting the 

 circulation of blood and lymph, thereby play- 

 ing an important role in the processes of ab- 

 sorption and elimination, which take place 

 within the abdomen. 



On the Influence of CO^ on the Viscosity of 

 the Blood: Russell Bueton-Opitz. 

 The dogs used in these experiments received 

 alternately a supply of normal air and air 

 charged with CO,. During the period of in- 

 halation of the air plus CO, the arterial blood 

 showed a somewhat greater viscosity than dur- 

 ing the time when the animal breathed normal 

 air. The changes appeared very promptly, but 

 were never very conspicuous. The speciflc 



gravity of the blood pursued a course parallel 

 to that of the viscosity. 



Agglutinins and Precipitins in Anti-gonococ- 



cic serum: John C. Toerey. 



Rabbits and other laboratory animals, when 

 inoculated with cultures of gonococcus, raise 

 specific agglutinins and precipitins. 



Normal rabbit serums contain different 

 amounts of agglutinin for gonococcus. Strains 

 of gonococci differ greatly in the titer of their 

 agglutination with various gonococcic immune 

 serums. After one inoculation with a certain 

 culture, a large amount of agglutinin was pro- 

 duced for some strains, but none for others. 



Absorption experiments indicate that an 

 anti-gonococcic serum may contain, in addi- 

 tion to the specific homologous agglutinins, 

 several groups of agglutinins which act on the 

 different cultures quite independently of one 

 another. At least three groups were found, 

 whose major or specific agglutinins are not 

 removed by inter-absorptions. This indicates 

 that as far as agglutination is concerned, there 

 are specific differences between these groups. 

 The family gonococcus is, accordingly, hetero- 

 geneous rather than homogeneous, and in that 

 respect resembles the dysentery, colon and 

 streptococcus families. In making a serum 

 for therapeutic purposes, this fact should be 

 borne in mind. 



The passage of a culture of gonococcus 

 through a guinea-pig caused a very marked 

 decrease in its agglutinability. With the ex- 

 ception of one serum, meningococcus agglu- 

 tinated only in low dilutions of the anti-gono- 

 coccic serums. 



Anti-gonococcic serum contains specific pre- 

 cipitins for gonococcus. There appeared to be 

 no relation between the precipitating and the 

 agglutinating properties of an anti-gonococcic 

 serum for a culture of gonococcus. 



Anti-gonococcic serums contain, as a rule, 

 some precipitins for meningococcus, but none 

 for m. catarrhalis or staphylococcus. 



There is evidence of a relationship between 

 gonococcus and meningococcus, but not of as 

 close a one as has been described by some in- 

 vestigators. 



