820 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVIU. No. 



diaees et Thaliaees) par E. Van Beneden 



et Marc de Selys-Longchamps. 1913. Pp. 



120. 17 pi. 



The rocks reported on from the Antarctic 

 are chiefly from Cape Gregory and Elisabeth 

 Island. From the former locality granite 

 and diorite, quartz porphyry, porphyrite, 

 andesite and diabase, with a single specimen of 

 basalt. Metamorphic schist and a quartz- 

 feldspar conglomerate were also represented in 

 the collection. 



From Elisabeth Island, diorite, andesite, 

 diabase and mica schist are reported. 



The other rocks reported on are mostly from 

 Punta Arenas and other points about the 

 Magellan Straits and are of less interest. 



A fine plate gives microphotographs of sec- 

 tions of the more interesting crystalline rocks. 



The study of the Tunicates had been nearly 

 completed by Professor Van Beneden when 

 his researches were interrupted by death. 

 But his test was entirely completed only for 

 the Salpas and the plates referring to them. 

 For the rest, notes, sketches, plates, etc., much 

 remained to be coordinated and the text to be 

 prepared by the later editor. With the excep- 

 tion of Plate Vin., all the plates are from 

 figures left by Van Beneden. The classifica- 

 tion adopted is that of Hartmeyer. 



The Antarctic species collected by the expe- 

 dition comprise two new species of Corella 

 and a single BoUenia, which have been ex- 

 haustively monographed. The other species, 

 also new, are from the Chilian coast. The 

 Salpas are Antarctic and are the first 

 brought from this distant region. They in- 

 clude one new species and a new variety of 

 S. fusiformis. 



The plates are of remarkable beauty and the 

 work will add materially to the existing 

 knowledge of the subject. 



W. H. Dall 



Ahwehrfer merit e des iierischen Organismus 

 gegen hbrper-, hlutplasma- und zellfremde 

 Stoffe, ihr Nachweis und ihre diagnostische 

 Bedeutung zur Prilfung der Funktion der 

 einzelnen Organe. Von Emil Abderhalden. 

 Second edition. Published by Julius 



Springer, Berlin. 1913. Pp. ix + 199 ; with 



eleven text figures and one plate. Bound 



M. 6.40; paper coTers M. 5.60. 



In the second editioni of this booklet, the 

 first appeared about one year ago, Abderhalden 

 gives a clearer and more fully developed pre- 

 sentation of a defensive mechanism of the 

 body which his researches have already shown 

 to be of great interest and importance. Briefly 

 stated, Abderhalden believes, on the basis of 

 experimental work, that all soluble members 

 of the proteid, fat and carbohydrate groups 

 produce ferments when they come into contact 

 with an organism's cells which are unaccus- 

 tomed to their presence. The foreign proteid, 

 for example, may be the characteristic proteid 

 of another species, as when horse serum is 

 injected into a dog, or it may be a proteid 

 which is a characteristic component of the 

 organism itself, but which through some proc- 

 ess or other is found in localities where it 

 does not normally belong, as when placental 

 tissue components circulate in the maternal 

 organism. In either case ferments are formed 

 which digest the body-alien or blood-alien pro- 

 teid. These ferments moreover are not specific 

 when a proteid is injected in the crude labora- 

 tory experiment, but they are specific when the 

 body inoculates itself, as for example during 

 pregnancy. This specificity of the resultant 

 ferment has made it possible for Abderhalden 

 and his collaborators to make the differential 

 diagnosis in hundreds of cases between preg- 

 nancy and non-pregnancy, practically without 

 error, although many of them were compli- 

 cated with cancer, salpingitis, tuberculosis, 

 etc. This part of the work has been in gen- 

 eral corroborated by other and independent 

 workers. Abderhalden, however, carried the 

 experimental development of this view still 

 further. He argues that as all diseases must 

 necessarily disturb the functional activity of 

 some organ or organs, it is probable that these 

 structures will form abnormal products. 

 These abnormal products when thrown into 

 the blood and lymph stream will act as blood- 

 alien or cell-alien substances and will stimulate 



I The first edition was reviewed in Science, 

 1913, Vol. XXXVII., p. 837. 



