Febrtjaey 21, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



291 



The attendance at this meeting reached 

 325, almost the largest in the history of 

 the society. 



The following papers and addresses were 

 delivered before the general sessions: 



The Application of Physical Chemistry to 

 Organic Chemistry: Julius Stieglitz. 



The Hydronitrogens and their Derivatives: 

 A. W. Browne. 



A Plea for the Broader Education of the 

 Chemical Engineer: Clipfoed Richard- 

 son. 



Some Present-day Problems of Biological 

 Chemists: R. H. Chittenden. 



The Passage of Substances into the Human 

 System by Osmosis: Louis Kahlenberg. 



American Chemical Societies: M. T. Bo- 



GERT. 



The Non-equivalence of the Four Valences 

 of the Carbon Atom: J. U. Neff. 



The Chemical Education of the Chemical 

 Engineer: Wm. H. Ellis. 



Chemistry in the Government Service: W. 



D. BiGELOW. 



The Interrelations of the Elements: Her- 

 bert N. McCoy. 



The following papers were presented be- 

 fore the different sections: 



physical chemistry section 



Herbert N. McCoy, Chairman 



On the Passage of Substances into the 



Human System by Osmosis: Louis 



Kahlenberg. 



The experiments began with a study of 

 the treatment of cases of blood-poisoning 

 by means of saturated aqueous solutions 

 of boric acid. In all cases where such so- 

 lutions are applied to the thoroughly 

 cleansed skin, boric acid is absorbed and 

 makes its appearance in the urine. The 

 percentage found in the urine rarely 



reaches more than a few hundredths of 

 one per cent. 



A large number of pathological samples 

 of urine were examined, their boric acid 

 content being determined colorimetrically 

 by means of a modification of the turmeric 

 paper method. When the feet of a normal 

 individual are immersed in a saturated 

 boric-acid solution up to the ankle, the 

 boric-acid appears in the urine in estimable 

 quantity in ten minutes. The presence of 

 traces may be demonstrated after five min- 

 utes. Under like conditions not a trace of 

 lithium passes into the system from lithium 

 chloride solutions. Quite weak solutions 

 and also five and ten per cent, solutions 

 were tried. Chlorides of calciiun and 

 rubidiiun also do not pass into the system. 

 The tests were made by means of the spec- 

 troscope. It is a notable fact that through 

 dead animal or vegetable membranes lith- 

 ium chloride will pass much more rapidly 

 than will boric acid. And when even a 

 small fraction of a grain of lithium chlo- 

 ride is taken into the mouth, the lithium 

 may be demonstrated to be present in the 

 urine in a very short time. When the feet 

 are soaked in a solution of lithium tetra- 

 borate, neither lithium nor boric acid is 

 found in the urine. Thus far all attempts 

 to introduce lithium salts into the system 

 by absorption through the skin have been 

 unsuccessful. On the other hand, through 

 the mucous membranes lithium salts read- 

 ily make their way. Through dead animal 

 and vegetable membranes acids diffuse 

 most rapidly. When the feet are soaked 

 in a tenth normal hydrochloric or sulphuric 

 acid, the urine, which, as is well known, is 

 slightly acid in reaction normally, becomes 

 alkaline in five minutes, also scanty as to 

 amount. In ten minutes the alkalinity is 

 much more pronounced. If now the ex- 

 periment is stopped, the alkalinity persists 

 for three to five hours longer, gradually 

 disappearing. An attempt to secure the 



