Januabt 11, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



69 



these changes are causally related to such ac- 

 tivity. The change in potential produced by 

 a slight chemical change in a complex solu- 

 tion like the plasma may be of greater signifi- 

 cance than a corresponding change in the 

 potential of a simple solution of its inorganic 

 constituents. For even a slight change in the 

 plasma during activity may be sufficient to 

 modify or to neutralize the electrical potential 

 betvsfeen the proteid complex in the cell and 

 the solution in which it is held. This might 

 result in the precipitation of the proteid com- 

 plex, or suiEcient change to act as a stimulus. 

 At the request of Dr. Carlson, who has been 

 working on this problem, I made an approxi- 

 mate analysis of the Limulus blood, not know- 

 ing of the analyses already made by Genth 

 and by Gotch and Laws." The results of the 

 three analyses agree so closely that all of 

 them are given. No attempt has been made 

 by me to find how the acids and bases are 

 combined except the usual routine methods 

 given by Hoppe-Seyler and the methods adopt- 

 ed by the A. O. A. C.; both of these methods 

 were used wherever they differed. 



Blood Ash of Limtjlus. 



Blood of Ltmulus (McGuigan). 

 Summary of results. 

 pSgB Per Cent. 



Water 91.784 



Solids : 



Proteid 5.162 



Ash 2.676 



Other organic constituents 378 



8.216 



" Von Furth, ' Vergleichende Chemische Physiol- 

 ogic der niederen Tiere,' 1903, p. 88. 



Ash. 



CI (total) 54.820 



NaCl 28.600 



KCl 2.930 



CaO 2.510 



MgO 5.580 



FA 0.340 



FejOa (not determined) trace 



CuO 0.273 



SOs 1.570 



SiO: 420 



CI (uncombined with K and Na) 3.281 



CO2 not determined 



Although the results agree fairly well, yet 

 there are differences. Whether or not these 

 differences are suiEcient to cause an appre- 

 ciable change in the metabolism of the gan- 

 glion cells as evidenced by the behavior of the 

 heart muscle remains to be investigated. Any 

 change in the metabolism of the ganglion cells 

 would be more stimulating if the changes in 

 the composition of the plasma were sufficiently 

 rapid to prevent the acclimatization of the 

 colloids. However, as the sea water itself 

 varies in composition in different localities, 

 in order to get a close agreement in the blood 

 ash, it may be necessary to select animals 

 from the same locality. The ash which I ex- 

 amined was prepared at the Marine Biological 

 Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass. The proteid 

 and moisture content were determined imme- 

 diately after the removal of the Limulus from 

 the water. Before any definite conclusions 

 can be drawn from this work it may be neces- 

 sary to make more analyses. 



Hugh McGuigan 



Washington Univebsitt 



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