528 



SCIENCK 



[N. S. Vol. VIII. No. 199. 



lization of vegetable proteids, and Hofmeis- 

 ter's separation of crj'stalline animal pro- 

 teids, have yielded interesting conclusions 

 in regard to the physiology of germination 

 and plant growth in general. 



Among the earliest metabolism experi- 

 ments reported were those of Flint, who 

 concluded that the secretion of urea was 

 increased by muscular exertion. These 

 ideas have been verified by subsequent in- 

 vestigations. 



During the last few years the chemical 

 factors causing certain diseases have been 

 studied. Some claim that some complaints 

 are due to increased presence of uric acid 

 in the blood. Herter says that this acid is 

 the result rather than the cause. Rach- 

 ford presents evidence to show that the 

 symptoms of toxicity are expressions of 

 leucomaine poisoning dependent upon de- 

 fective elimination. The importance of the 

 subject is exhibited by the foundation and 

 organization of the Institute of Pathology 

 of the New York State Commission of 

 Lunacy and the recent establishment of a 

 professorship in pathological chemistry in 

 the Universitj^ and Bellevue Hospital Med- 

 ical College, New York. 



American contributions to physiological 

 chemistry have hitherto been scattered in 

 journals of chemistry, physics, medicine 

 and general science at home and abroad. 

 There are two journals published now in 

 America dealing directly with the subject, 

 The American Journal of Physiology and The 

 Journal of Experimental Medicine. 



Dr. S. Bookman, in his paper on ' Studies 

 in Epilepsy ; a Contribution to the Subject 

 of Metabolism in Nervous Diseases,' gave 

 conclusions based on chemical examination 

 of stomach contents, blood and urine, to- 

 gether with urotoxic and serotoxic deter- 

 minations in four cases. His other paper 

 was on ' Investigations of the Nature of 

 the Nissl Granules.' ' Proteids of the 

 Brain ' was Dr. P. A. Levene's paper. 



' Experiments on the Metabolism of Mat- 

 ter and Energy in the Human Body,' by 

 W. 0. Atwater and F. G. Benedict. 



' Experiments on the Metabolism of Al- 

 cohol in the Human Body,' by W. O. At- 

 water and F. G. Benidict, provoked not a 

 little discussion, for, from the experiments 

 reported, alcohol is a heat-producing food. 



' On the Availability of Nutrients of Food 

 Materials,' by W. 0. Atwater and A. P. 

 Bryant. 



' A Dietary Study of a Bicycle Eacer, ' 

 by W. O. Atwater and A. P. Bryant. The 

 subject studied was Miller, the six-day 

 champion racer of the world. 



Changes in the ripening of cheese are 

 usually attributed to micro-organisms, but 

 Drs. S. M. Babcock and H. L. Russell, in a 

 paper on ' The Properties of Galactase ; a 

 Proteolytic Ferment of Milk,' attributed 

 the conversion of insoluble casein of a 

 green cheese into peptones and other 

 soluble proteids in ripened cheese to the 

 important enzyme named in the title of the 

 paper. Galactase appears to be allied to 

 trypsin and is more abundant in cream, 

 being precipitated by absolute alcohol. It 

 is present in all milks ; sheep, goat, horse, 

 hog, bufiFalo, burro and human. 



' Urinarj' Acidimetry and Alkalimetry,' 

 Heinrich Stern. 



' The Normal Degree of Urinary Acidity,' 

 Heinrich Stern. 



Dr. H. A. Weber, who was in charge of 

 the subject of Agricultural Chemistry, gave 

 a paper on ' Light : a Factor in Sugar Pro- 

 duction.' The sugar content of plants is 

 dependent upon climatic conditions, loca- 

 tion and proximity to large bodies of water. 

 For plants having short period of vegeta- 

 tion higher latitudes are more favorable, 

 other things being equal. 



' The determination of Starch in Agri- 

 cultural Products,' J. B. Lindsey. 



' A Note on the Growth of Lupins on 

 Calcareous Lands,' E. W. Hilgard. 



