328 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVII. No. 687 



Experiments are quoted showing that 

 alkaline bicarbonates may exchange car- 

 bonic acid for oxygen, which latter is 

 thereby converted into an active modifica- 

 tion, thereby enabling such bicarbonate 

 solution to be used for oxidizing purposes, 

 notably also as the negative element in 

 electric batteries constructed by the author 

 in which sugar, oleates, alcohol and other 

 nutrient combustibles are oxidized, yield- 

 ing a full equivalent of electricity without 

 dissipation of energy. It also appears that 

 alkaline carbonates present in the serous 

 liquids of the human system act as a trans- 

 mitter of oxygen from the oxyhemoglobin 

 of the red corpuscles to the oxidable matter 

 in the muscle elements, thereby activating 

 or transferring the oxygen into the active 

 modification. 



As foreshadowed in a paper on electro- 

 dynamics of nutrition read at the former 

 meeting, it is shown that the sarcous ele- 

 ments of the contractile disks of the volun- 

 tary muscle fiber represent the electrodes 

 of batteries in which nutrients or their 

 derivates are oxidized by the active oxygen 

 transferred to them by the bicarbonates, 

 thereby causing contraction by the mutual 

 attraction of the parallel electric currents 

 regTilated by simple contrivances fully ex- 

 plaining the interior mechanism of the 

 concert action of voluntary muscles, nerves 

 and nerve centers. Calculations are pre- 

 sented showing that currents of very low 

 voltage and amperage suffice for these per- 

 formances. 



It is also found that the order in which, 

 according to Atwater, different substances 

 are preferred and replace each other in 

 nutrition, viz., alcohol, sugar, fat, proteids, 

 is the same as that in which they furnish 

 the gTeatest amount of electromotive force 

 in batteries constructed by the author in 

 analogy to the supposed muscle batteries. 



author subsequently added some biochemical data 

 and presented it before the section. 



Wood Turpentines and their Relation to 

 Gum Turpentines: "W. C. Geer. Re- 

 ported by title. 



The Deposition of Arsenic upon the Vege- 

 tation of Smelter Regions: W. D. 

 Haekins. Reported by title. 



Determination of Small Quantities of 

 Monocarbonate in Bicarbonate of Soda: 

 J. D. Pennock and D. A. Morton. Ab- 

 stract misplaced. 



The Criteria of Deterioration in Flesh 

 Foods: W. D. Richardson. Reported 

 by title. 



Transparent Soot : a Supercooled Solution : 

 W. D. Richardson. Reported by title. 



Examination of Crude Petroleum for Com- 

 parative Purposes: David T. Day. Re- 

 ported by title. 



Long-leaf Pine Oil: J. E. Teeple. Re- 

 ported by title. 



Microscopic Detection of Free Magnesia in 

 Portland Cement: Alfred H. "White. 

 Reported by title. 



Analysis of Turpentine by Fractional Dis- 

 tillation ivith Steam: W. C. Geer. Re- 

 ported by title. 



biological chemical section in joint 



SESSION with AMERICAN SOCIETY OF 



biological chemists 

 R. H. Chittenden, chairman and president 

 Organic Soil Constituent : Oswald Schrei- 



ner and Edmund C. Shorey. 



The authors reported on a crystalline 

 organic compound which had been isolated 

 from several unproductive soils. The 

 compound when tested by physiological 

 methods is harmful to plants and appears 

 to be the cause of the unproductivity in 

 these soils. It can be obtained by extract- 

 ing the soil with dilute soda solution, 

 acidifying, filtering from the voluminous 

 precipitate of humus bodies produced and 



