30 



SCIENCE 



[X. S. Vol. XXXI. No. 784 



ficial layer of the erythrocyte plays an impor- 

 tant part in regulating the exchange between 

 the corpuscles and the plasma or other sur- 

 rounding media. Alterations of the envelope 

 merely allow the conditions to be established 

 which are necessary for the transformation of 

 the hsemoehrome. Some evidence is oilered 

 in support of the idea that the electrolytes of 

 the erythrocytes may be divided into three 

 fractions : (1) A portion which escapes even 

 with the gentlest methods of Taking, (2) one 

 liberated only by energetic laking agents, and 

 (3) one set free only by destructive processes. 



5. " Studies Concerning the Iodine-contain- 

 ing Principle of the Thyroid Gland — I.," by 

 S. Strouse and C. Voegtlin. lodotyrosine 

 has not an analogous effect to that of the ex- 

 tract of thyroid gland upon nitrogen metab- 

 olism or upon the blood pressure. It has no 

 curative eifect upon myxedema or cretinism, 

 does not exhibit the typical action of the 

 thyroid extract in exophthalmic goiter and 

 finally the negative results of these writers 

 seem to indicate that the activity of the io- 

 dine-containing principle of the thyroid gland 

 is not due to a combination of iodine with 

 one single cleavage product of protein. 



6. " The Antagonism of the Adrenal Glands 

 against the Pancreas," by C. "W. Edmunds. 

 The action of adrenalin in inhibiting the pan- 

 creatic secretion is found to be in no sense 

 specific. Nicotine and other drugs that con- 

 strict the blood vessels of the gland cause an 

 inhibition of the gland's secretion as does 

 adrenalin, and in a similar manner asphyxia 

 and splanchnic stimulation may produce 

 anasmia of the organ and thereby inhibit secre- 

 tion. 



7. " Quantitative Experiments with the Cu- 

 taneous Tuberculin Eeaction," by C. J. Pir- 

 quet. It is found that the cutaneous tuberculin 

 reaction depends upon at least two factors, one 

 the tuberculin, the other that furnished by the 

 organism, which latter can be considered as 

 an antibody, the origin of which dates back to 

 previous infection of the organism with the 

 tubercle bacilli. The first factor can be varied 

 at will and progressive dilutions are followed 

 by a more or less uniform diminution of the 



intensity of the reaction, but owing to an im- 

 perfect understanding of certain phenomena 

 no definite mathematical expression could be 

 elicited for the determinations made. 



The August number of the Journal of 

 Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 

 contains the following articles : 



1. " Some Convenient Laboratory Appa- 

 ratus," by A. C. Crawford and H. Honn. An 

 automatic winding device for spring kymo- 

 graphs is described and figured. This device 

 consists of a small motor and a special clamp 

 that can be easily attached to the heavier 

 forms of ksrmographs resembling the Ludwig- 

 Baltzer type. 



A self -registering injection, a nerve stimu- 

 lating apparatus, and a combined signal and 

 base line apparatus are each figured and de- 

 scribed. 



2. "The Effect of Caffeine and Sodium 

 Bicarbonate upon the Toxicity of Acetani- 

 lide," by Worth Hale. The author concludes 

 that caffeine is of little or no benefit in 

 acetanilide poisoning, in some cases it even 

 exerts a harmful effect. Sodium bicarbonate 

 lessens the toxicity of acetanilide both upon 

 the heart and upon the intact animal. 



3. " Anesthesia by the Intracerebral Injec- 

 tion of Magnesium Chloride," by V. E. Hen- 

 derson. A note describing a laboratory method 

 for anesthetizing rabbits and cats. 



4. "Ergot," by W. H. Cronyn and V. E. 

 Henderson. It is held by these writers that 

 most galenical preparations contain consider- 

 able amounts of the active principles. The 

 pharmacologic action of the small doses 

 usually prescribed are, however, too slight to 

 elicit the desired effect when given per os. 

 Ergotoxine is a highly active alkaloid and has 

 the properties of ergot most desired in medi- 

 cine, it brings on long enduring vaso-constric- 

 tion, increases uterine movements when ex- 

 hibited intravenously, and the same to a less 

 extent when injected subcutaneously, but 

 when given per os has very little action. 



5. " On the Pharmacological Action of 

 Some Phthaleins and their Derivatives, with 

 Special Eeference to their Behavior as Purga- 

 tives — I." by J. Abel and L. G. Eowntree. 



