February 21, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



299 



by the sodium: this fact and others indi- 

 cate that the increase was not due to 

 greater osmotic pressure. An addition of 

 potassium or sodium increased the tran- 

 spiration less than the green weight. 

 When supplemented by sodium, a larger 

 amount of potassium was left in the solu- 

 tion by the growing seedlings, showing 

 that sodium was a conserver of potassium. 



A Study of the Chemistry of the Chinese 

 Edible Bird's Nest "Neossin": E. V. 



MCCOLLUM. 



"Neossin" is a glucoproteid. It gives 

 Millon's, Adamkiewicz 's, the biuret and 

 xanthoproteic reactions. It contains 2 per 

 cent, of sulphur, 9.69 per cent, of nitrogen 

 and no phosphorus. Hausmann's method 

 showed the nitrogen to be distributed as 

 follows: NHs, 1.3 per cent; Humus, 1.27 

 per cent. ; Phosphotungstic acid precipi- 

 tate, 1.59 per cent. ; Amino acids, 5.53 per 

 cent. The substance is remarkable in that 

 about one fourth of its sulphur is liberated 

 as SO, when the proteid is hydrolyzed with 

 3 per cent. HCl. No sulphites are present 

 in the nest. The gas was washed with 

 CuSO^ solution and gave no evidence of 

 hydrogen sulphide. The mercaptan sul- 

 phur test is very faint. 



When boiled with 3 per cent. HCl, the 

 carbohydrate group is readily split off. 

 The hydrolysis solution was precipitated 

 with phosphotungstic acid and the filtrate 

 used for the estimation of the sugar by 

 Fehling's solution. It showed the presence 

 of 15 per cent, of sugar calculated as 

 glucose in the sample. This solution gave 

 an osazone which melts at 183°-185° C. 

 and has the composition of a hexosazone. 



Arginine and histadine were identified 

 in the phosphotungstic precipitate. Lysin 

 appears to be absent. 



The Importance of the Publication of a 

 General Bulletin giving the Results of 



Food and Drug Work in the Vndted 

 States: E. H. S. Bailey and H. L. Jack- 

 son. 



It would be a great advantage to those 

 who have to do with the enforcement of 

 food and drug laws if the results of an- 

 alyses and opinions in regard to certain 

 specific articles of food upon the market 

 were published monthly in some general 

 bulletin. It is of course true that articles 

 might be passed in some states and con- 

 demned in others. 



This difference might be due to the ab- 

 sence of laws in one state that have been 

 enacted in another. Here the tendency 

 would be to induce manufacturers to raise 

 the grade of goods so as to make use of a 

 common label for all states. 



There might be a difference on account 

 of the various methods of examination. If 

 attention is called to this fact there would 

 be thus an opportunity to work out better 

 methods and so obtain more uniform re- 

 sults. 



There might also be a different judgment 

 regarding what foods are injurious or 

 otherwise in the separate states. Here 

 again a comparison of results would lead 

 to investigations such as are now being 

 carried on by the Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



It is suggested that in addition to an 

 official list of laboratories where food and 

 drug analyses are made, there might be a 

 list compiled under various headings, such 

 as flavoring extracts, beverages, etc., giving 

 those that are reported by municipal 

 and state laboratories as being illegal, 

 with a simple statement as to the reason 

 why they are so considered. Although it 

 probably does not come within the prov- 

 ince of the federal government to issue 

 such a bulletin, if it could be published in 

 some other way, it would be extremely 

 convenient to those who are engaged in 

 food and drug work. 



