NOVEMBEE 7, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



675 



spores occurred after about 43 hours, the irmnunized 

 rabbits retaining the viable spores as long as the 

 check rabbits. 



K. A. GoRTNER and A. F. Blakeslee: The Occur- 

 rence of a Toxin m the Bread Mould, BMsopus 

 nigricans. 



We have found that there is a toxin in the 

 bread mould which, when administered intraven- 

 ously to rabbits, causes their death with all of the 

 symptoms of anaphylaxis. The toxin is stable to 

 peptic digestion and to heating at 100° for five 

 minutes. The toxin, as prepared, is present in the 

 mould to about 4 per cent., is soluble in water, 

 from which solution it may be precipitated by 

 alcohol, and is non-dialyzable. The lethal dose for 

 rabbits, when given intravenously, is about 1 : 225,- 

 000 parts of body weight. 



Bat E. Neidig: Effect of Acids Upon the Catalase 

 of TaJca-diastase. 



Data were presented showing the inhibiting 

 effect of several of the important inorganic and 

 organic acids toward catalase of taka-diastase. 

 Curves were plotted for different acid concentra- 

 tions wMch show the quantity of oxygen liberated 

 at stated intervals. The acids, arranged in order 

 of the magnitude of their inhibiting effect for equi- 

 normal solutions, are as follows: sulphuric, hydro- 

 chloric, oxalic, tartaric, citric and acetic. The in- 

 hibiting effect of the first three was much more 

 pronounced than that of the others. Neutralization 

 of the acid solution usually restored some of the 

 activity, the amount of increase depending upon 

 the particular acid used. Van Slyke's amino- 

 nitrogen apparatus was used in these experiments 

 for measuring the amount of oxygen liberated. 

 Eat E. Neidig: Polyatomic Alcohols as Sources of 

 Carbon for Molds. 



A comparison of some of the polyatomic alcohols 

 occurring in nature was undertaken in order to 

 determine the degree of their utilization by molds 

 as sole sources of carbon. The alcohols used were 

 methyl alcohol, glycol, glycerol, erythrite, adonite, 

 mannite, dulcite and sorbite. Eight species of 

 molds representing four genera were cultivated in 

 media containing these alcohols. 



It was found that methyl alcohol produced no 

 growth, glycol induced germination only, glycerol 

 produced strong cultures, erythrite could be used 

 by the majority of molds and adonite by only a 

 few, while all three of the hexatomic alcohols may 

 be regarded as good sources of carbon. These re- 

 sults indicate that molds are able to use both 

 optically active and inactive compounds as sources 

 of carbon. If viewed from the standpoint of their 



oxidation products it is possible that active com- 

 pounds are first formed and these are then utUized 

 in the development of the molds. 

 Arthur W. Dox and W. E. Buth: Cleavage of 



Benzoylalanine iy Mold Enzymes. 



Continuing our studies on the enzymic cleavage 

 of glycocoll derivatives by means of the formol- 

 titrimetrie method, a homologue of hippurio acid, 

 viz., benzoylalanine, was tested. Seven species of 

 the lower fungi were found to produce an enzyme 

 capable of decomposing di-benzoylalanine to the 

 extent of 12. S per cent, to 24.5 per cent, in two 



F. C. Cook : The Importance of Food Accessories as 

 shown by Bat-feeding Experiments. 

 Most of the twelve white rats fed on a basal! 

 diet of protein, fat, carbohydrates and salts for 

 eighty days lost weight during the last three 

 weeks. For thirty-five days immediately follow- 

 ing, 5 c.c. of meat extract, plant extract solution 

 or milk were alternately added to the basal diet, 

 the nitrogen and sodium chloride being equal. 

 Milk and meat extract stimulated growth, plant 

 extract showed little stimulating power. Eleven 

 young white rats fed for thirty-five days on the 

 basal diet, plus one of the three accessories, showed 

 similar results. Milk, also meat extract, gave the 

 biuret reaction and precipitates with phospho- 

 tungstic acid. Plant extract gave neither. Meat 

 extract is a hydrolyzed product practically free 

 from fat and carbohydrates. The rats gained 

 more on a smaller number of calories when milk 

 or meat extract was ingested than when fed on the 

 basal diet alone. 



Christine Chapman and W. C. Etheridge: In- 

 fluence of Certain Organic Substances Upon the 

 Secretion of Diastase by Various Fungi. 

 In this work the influence of varying concentra- 

 tion of cane sugar, glucose, peptone and tannic 

 acid upon the secretion of diastase by Aspergillus 

 niger, Aspergillus Oryzce, PenicilUum expansum, 

 Penicillium camembertii, Mucor Bouxii and Cepha- 

 lothecium roseum has been investigated. Czapek's 

 solution was employed with the sugar replaced by 

 0.4 per cent, soluble starch. To this was added 

 the quantity substance whose influence was to be 

 determined. It was found in general that the 

 presence of any of the above organic substances 

 retarded the secretion of diastase by the fungi 

 mentioned. The higher the concentration the 

 greater the retardation. 



H. H. Bunzel: The Bole of Oxidases in the 

 Curly Dwarf Disease of Potatoes. 



