March 2, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



333 



The organs were incinerated in a porce- 

 lain dish and tested for radioactivity by 

 means of a quadrant electrometer. With in^ 

 jections of radium bromide of 240 activity 

 only the blood was radioactive. If injec- 

 tions are made for several days and time 

 is given for the radium to be eliminated, 

 the blood is no longer active, though the 

 kidneys, urine and feces are. With radium 

 of 10,000 activity most of the organs 

 were radioactive. There was consider- 

 able salivation and the saliva was active. 

 Though the radium is excreted through the 

 kidneys and intestines, the latter do not 

 become radioactive. 



Experiments to Determine the Influence of 

 Radium Bromide on Protein Metabolism 

 in Dogs: W. N. Berg and W. H. Welkek. 

 The experiments are being carried out on 

 dogs in nitrogenous equilibrium. Radium 

 bromide preparations of 240, 1,000 and 

 10,000 activity have been employed. One 

 animal (6.6 kilos) has been fed 1.100 gms. 

 240 activity, 0.250 gm. 1,000 activity, and 

 0.125 gm. 10,000 activity in small amounts 

 daily (during twelve days), without caus- 

 ing any gross symptoms, except diarrhcea 

 during the period of administration of the 

 preparation of 240 activity with its large 

 content of barium. Proteid metabolism 

 did not appear to be materially affected. 

 Total sulphate (SO^) in the urine was 

 markedly increased, especially during the 

 period following the administration of the 

 preparation of highest activity, and when 

 diarrhoea as well as constipation was en- 

 tirely absent. 



In control experiments with barium 

 bromide, much larger quantities per os (as 

 much as 0.5 gm. daily to a dog weighing 

 only 4.5 kilos) were without any gross 

 symptoms whatever. In the case of 

 barium, also, proteid metabolism was prac- 

 tically unaffected by the quantities used. 

 The quantity of total sulphate in the urine, 



unlike the result with radium, appeared to 

 be practically unaffected by the barium 

 bi-omide. 



Injection (subcutaneous) experiments 

 have also yielded negative results. 



The Cutaneous Excretion of Nitrogenous 



Material: F. G. Benedict. 



During rest, there is an average excre- 

 tion in the perspiration of 0.071 gram of 

 nitrogen per day. That it is in large 

 measure urea or ammonium compounds is 

 highly probable, though the presence of 

 soluble proteids is not at all impossible. 

 With hard muscular labor the amount of 

 nitrogen excreted may amount to 0.22 gram 

 in one hour. The amount excreted is 

 roughly proportional to the work done. In 

 accurate metabolism experiments these 

 amounts should be taken into account. 



The Incapacity of the Date Endosperm for 



Self -digestion: R. H. Pond. 



The conclusion drawn from a number 

 of experiments conducted under varying 

 conditions is that the endosperm of 

 Phoenix dactylifera is incapable of auto- 

 digestion. 



The Influence of Aluminium Compounds 

 on the Growth of Lupin Seedlings: H. 



D. House and Wm. J. Gies. 



Aluminium sulphate, nitrate and chlo- 

 ride, aluminium sodium chloride and 

 potassium and ammonium alums were 

 used. In nearly all cases little or no 

 effect was produced by solutions of 

 1/65,536-molecular concentration, but at 

 greater concentrations growth was usually 

 markedly inhibited. At greater dilutions 

 there was usually a stimulation to growth. 



Studies on the Banana: L. B. Mendel and 



E. M. Bailey. 



The behavior of green bananas subjected 

 to various abnormal atmospheres and to 

 inert surface coatings has been studied 

 with reference to the effect on ripening 



