Makch 2, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



335 



The authors aimed in this work to study 

 the products of decomposition of purine 

 bodies in the tissues. Jones, Schittelhelm 

 and Levene have observed that amino- 

 purines are transformed into oxypurines. 

 It is well known that purine bodies under- 

 go complete destruction in the course of 

 tissue autolysis. 



The authors have studied the conditions 

 most favorable for the process of purine 

 decomposition by animal tissues and have 

 endeavored to ascertain the general nature 

 of the substances formed during the 

 process. It was found that the presence 

 of 0.5 per cent, of sodium carbonate in mix- 

 tures of spleen pulp facilitated the decom- 

 position of purine bodies to such an extent 

 that even uric acid is broken up by that 

 tissue. It was also noticed that the de- 

 composition products were non-basic in 

 nature, for they were not precipitated by 

 phosphotungstie acid. On decomposition 

 of uric acid by tissue extracts, formation of 

 ammonia could not be detected. 



On the Biological Relationship of Nucleo- 



proteid, Amyloid and Mucoid: P. A. 



Levene and John A. Mandel. 



The authors endeavored to ascertain the 

 nature of the carbohydrate groups in the 

 proteid molecule. It was found that by 

 heating nucleoproteid on a water bath with 

 a 5 per cent, solution of sulphuric acid, a 

 product could be obtained that had the 

 properties of a polysaccharide or of a 

 glucosoid and which contained in its mole- 

 cule a small proportion of sulphuric acid 

 (S = 0.5 per cent.). On treating nucleo- 

 proteids with alkali, substances were ob- 

 tained containing a much greater propor- 

 tion of sulphuric acid (S = 3.5 per cent.; 

 N = 8.8 per cent.). The substances thus 

 obtained were found to possess the prop- 

 erties of glycothionic acids containing small 

 quantities of nucleic acid. 



Glycothionic acid has hitherto been rec- 



ognized as a constituent of mucoid and 

 amyloid. The results of this investigation 

 place the three groups of substances in 

 genetic relationship. 



Contributions to our Knowledge of the 

 Chemistry of Carbamates: J. J. R. 

 MACLEOD and H. D. Haskins. 

 A description of a method for the quan- 

 titative determination of carbamates, even 

 in the presence of soluble carbonates and 

 ammonium salts. Also a study of the 

 formation and stability of carbamates 

 under these conditions. 



The Effect of Alcohol on the Secretion of 



BUe: Wm. Salant. 



With dogs there is a diminished secretion 

 of bile following intravenous injection of 

 alcohol. There was also a decrease in the 

 organic and inorganic constituents, though 

 little change in their relative amounts. 

 When alcohol was injected into the stomach 

 there was from 30 to 365 per cent, increase 

 in the amount of bile. The solid con- 

 stituents were also markedly increased, in 

 one case as much as 132 per cent. The 

 increase in inorganic matter did not keep 

 pace with the organic matter excreted. 



The Relation between the Concentration of 

 Rydroxyl Ions and the Rate of Tryptic 

 Digestion in Dilute Solutions of Various 

 Bases: W. N. Berg. 



Experiments were made in which the 

 speed of tryptic digestion, in solutions of 

 various bases, which contained the same 

 concentration of hydroxyl ions, was meas- 

 ured. 



The results seem to show that the speed 

 of tryptic digestion is a function of the 

 concentration of hydroxyl ions; but the 

 accompanying action and non-ionized mole- 

 cules also affect the speed. In the solu- 

 tions of the bases used the speed was fairly 

 uniform when the concentration of hy- 

 droxyl ions was the same. 



