Apeil 27, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



665 



evidence to support tlie theory of a direct toxic 

 action of adrenalin on the heart muscle. In- 

 deed, the limitation of degenerative lesions to 

 the heart and larger blood vessels and their 

 practical absence in all other tissues contra- 

 indicate a toxic action and point to some in- 

 fluence of a mechanical nature afEecting these 

 structures alone. That some of the more un- 

 usual forms of fibrous myocarditis in man 

 which are difficult of explanation may be due 

 to circulatory disturbances of the same gen- 

 eral nature as those caused in rabbits by 

 adrenalin can not be denied. It is to these 

 only that the results of this experimental in- 

 vestigation appear to have any relation. 



Stable and Detachahle Agglutinogen of 

 Typhoid Bacilli: B. H. Buxton and J. 0. 



TOREEY. 



By heating an emulsion of typhoid bacilli 

 to 72° C. for half an hour a detachable ag- 

 glutinum may be separated from the bacilli. 

 This may be obtained in the filtrate after pas- 

 sage through a Berkefeld filter. Eabbits which 

 have been inoculated on the one hand by this 

 filtrate and on the other by the heated bacilli, 

 which have been thoroughly washed, show 

 specific differences in their serums, as regards 

 agglutination. The animal inoculated with 

 the washed bacilli or stable agglutinum, pro- 

 duces a serum which agglutinates normal 

 typhoid bacilli very slowly and with the forma- 

 tion of fine clumps. In contrast to this, the 

 filtrate containing only detachable agglutinum 

 gives rise to serum which clumps normal 

 typhoid bacilli rapidly and with the formation 

 of large flocculi. 



Absorption experiments, furthermore, show 

 that the s or stable agglutinin and the d or 

 detachable agglutinin are distinct in char- 

 acter. 



It has also been determined that the sub- 

 stance in typhoid bacilli which gives rise to 

 precipitins for filtrates of typhoid cultures is 

 split off from the bacilli, together with the de- 

 tachable agglutinums. The possibility sug- 

 gests itself that the d agglutinin and the pre- 

 cipitin in a typhoid serum are identical. 



The Effect of Alcohol on Hepatic Oly oogenesis 

 {Preliminary Communication) : William 

 Salant. 



Thus far in his experiments the author has 

 found that the administration of alcohol, even 

 in relatively large doses, is without effect on 

 glycogen metabolism in the livers of fasting 

 rabbits. 



The Viscosity of the Blood during Fever and 

 After Injection of Phenylhydrazin : R. 

 Burton-Opitz. 



The viscosity was increased in these experi- 

 ments, whereas the specific gravity was de- 

 creased. These results agree with the au- 

 thor's previous observations, to the effect that 

 the viscosity and the specific gravity of blood 

 may vary independently. 



William J. Gies, 



Secretary. 



THE biological SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 



The 414th meeting was held March 17, 1906, 

 with President Knowlton in the chair and 31 

 persons in attendance. llr. J. W. Gidley 

 presented the first paper, ' Evidence bearing 

 on Tooth-Cusp Development, based on a Study 

 of the Mesozoic Mammals.' A study of the 

 Mesozoie mammal collection in the U. S. Na- 

 tional Museum has led to some discoveries of 

 importance bearing on the question of tooth- 

 cusp homologies in the mammalian molars. 



According to the tritubercular theory, as ad- 

 vocated by Osborn, the primary cone in the 

 upper molars is always to be found on the 

 inner or lingual side and is the homologue of 

 the central cone in such forms as Triconodon. 

 Against this theory Scott has shown, from 

 paleontological research, that in the upper 

 molariform premolars the primary coHe is on 

 the outside. M. F. Woodward has found 

 from embryological studies of certain groups 

 of insectivores that the main anterior external 

 cusp is the first to develop, not only in the 

 premolars, but in the molars as well, while 

 the internal cone (protocone) is third in 

 maliing its appearance. 



Notwithstanding this opposition evidence, 

 Osborn still supports the hypothesis of an 

 internal position for the primary cone in the 



