jANUAny 15, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



105 



duodenum. A marked increase in viscosity 

 also follows subcutaneous administration of 

 curare; however, this result is not evident 

 until the respiratory muscles become paralyzed. 

 Venous blood is slightly more viscous than 

 arterial, but the difference is often very insig- 

 nificant. 



In all these determinations a direct parallel- 

 ism exists between the viscosity values and the 

 specific gravity. When the viscosity increases 

 the specific gi-avity increases also, and vice 

 versa. Not a single exception to this rule 

 could be found. 



The viscosity was also determined in a dog 

 having very large thyroid bodies. The right 

 gland weighed 57, the left 52 grams. The 

 viscosity coefficient, obtained by eight deter- 

 minations, showed the value 1,233.17 (specific 

 gravity 1,05028), which means that the blood 

 of this animal was only 3.8 times more viscous 

 than distilled water at 37° C. The lowest 

 previous value obtained by Dr. Burton-Opitz 

 occurred in a dog after three days of hunger. 

 E equaled in this case 1,110.3 (4.2 times more 

 viscous). 



In general it may be said that the less the 

 viscosity the longer the period required for 

 extra-vascular coagulation. This was espe- 

 cially well shown in the case just mentioned. 

 Clotting set in after about fifteen minutes. 

 Survival of an Animal after Removal of hoth 

 Suprarenal Capsules, due to a Previous 

 Grafting of the Organ into the Kidney: S. 

 J. Meltzer (for Y. C. Busch and Charles 

 van Bergen, of the Department of Physiol- 

 ogy at the University of Buffalo). 

 Dr. Meltzer stated that in several instances 

 survival of a part of suprarenal gTafts was 

 obtained after transplantation into the kidney 

 of the same animal. 



In one experiment the animal (a rabbit) 

 survived, after apparently all other suprarenal 

 tissue, aside from that which was grafted into 

 the kidney, had been removed. In this case, 

 after total removal of the left suprarenal a 

 part of the gland, including medulla and cor- 

 tex, was introduced through an incision into 

 the cortex of the left kidney. Eighty-six days 

 later the remaining right suprarenal was re- 

 moved in toto. The animal survived the op- 



erat^OA and was apparently normal for twentyr- 

 one' days, at the end of which time it was killed 

 in order to examine the graft. This was 

 found, upon histologic examination, to have 

 been in part replaced by connective tissue. 

 The surviving cells apparently belong to the 

 medullary portion of the suprarenal. The 

 cortex had been replaced by connective tissue. 

 Blood supply was good. 



Slides showing the successful grafts were 

 exhibited under the microscope. In this con- 

 nection, also, Dr. Meltzer showed, under the 

 microscope, a section of Zuckerkandel's organ, 

 the chromophilic bodies of which are similar 

 in nature to the chromophilic granules of the 

 medullary portion of the suprarenal capsule. 



On the Absence of a Cane Sugar Inverting 

 Enzyme in the Stomach: Graham Lusk. 

 It was shown by Professor Lusk that free 

 hydrochloric acid and not an enzyme caused 

 the inversion of cane sugar in the stomach. 



A new Head Holder for Babbits, with Demon- 

 stration: Frederic S. Lee. 

 The following reviews were made: 

 The Action of Potassium Cyanide upon the 

 Unfertilized Egg: Holmes C. Jackson. 

 Loeb and Lewis were the first to note the 

 fact that unfertilized eggs (of the sea urchin), 

 when placed in m/1,000 KCN solution, retain 

 their capability of fertilization much longer 

 than when suspended in normal sea water. 

 This was ascribed to the action of the KCN 

 in inhibiting intracellular autolytic processes 

 which lead normally to maturation and finally 

 death. The bactericidal action of KCN was 

 excluded, as the result of experiments in 

 which eggs apparently died as rapidly in 

 sterile as in putrid sea water. 



Gorham and Tower's experiments in the 

 same connection indicated, on the other hand, 

 that the effect of KICE" was entirely bacteri- 

 cidal. The sterile eggs retained their capacity 

 for fertilization longer under absolutely sterile 

 conditions than when placed in w/1,000 KCN. 

 As the question now stands there exist two 

 almost identical series of sterilization ex- 

 periments by two pairs of investigators, with 

 results diametrically opposed to each other. 

 Critically considered, the more carefully con- 



