742 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVII. No. 436. 



The degenerate animals, in the periods which 

 were successfully overcome, had curiously 

 altered nuclei and endoplasm. In the last 

 period of depression which was not overcome, 

 the nucleus and endoplasm were normal, while 

 abnormal parts were found in the micronu- 

 cleus and the cortical plasm. 



The conclusions which this part of the work 

 seems to justify are: (1) That 'old age,' so- 

 called, of the cell, may be due either to the 

 wearing out of functions, or to the degenera- 

 tion of structural parts. The former is 

 capable of artificial rejuvenescence, the latter 

 apparently not. (2) The ordinary functions 

 of metabolism, such as digestion, assimilation, 

 excretion, growth, etc., are dependent upon 

 certain definite portions of the cell (macro- 

 nucleus and endoplasm), while the dividing 

 energy is a function of the micronucleus and 

 of the cortical plasm. (3) After conjugation, 

 the organisms start with high potentials of 

 metabolic energy which gradually wear out, 

 but which can be restored artificially. So, 

 too, the dividing energy starts with a high 

 initial potential energy, but which can not be 

 restored after exhaustion. 



In the light of these experiments it would 

 be pertinent and instructive to ascertain 

 whether artificial parthenogenesis, in sea- 

 urchins for example, could be repeated more 

 than once on the same continuous protoplasm. 

 On ffl priori grounds a successful result would 

 be extremely doubtful. 



On the Origin of Cholesterin in Gall-stones : 

 0. A. Herter. 



Dr. Herter said that experiments made in 

 his laboratory by Dr. Wakeman give strong 

 support to the view that inflammatory condi- 

 tions of the walls of the gall-bladder may lead 

 to an increase in the cholesterin of the bile. 

 Dr. Wakeman injected strong solutions of 

 bichloride of mercury into the gall-bladders 

 of dogs previously starved for three days. 

 After periods of from two to five days the 

 animals were killed. As a rule, the gall- 

 bladder walls were much thickened and the 

 epithelium was proliferated and desquamated. 

 The solids of the bile were diminished in per- 

 centage. The cholesterin content was much 

 increased. The contents of the gall-bladder 



in these experiments were sterile. These 

 facts are of great interest in relation to the 

 etiology of gall-stones. 



On Nucleic Acid: P. A. Levene. 



According to Osborne, nucleic acid derived 

 from the plant cell differs from that of the 

 animal cell with variation in the characters 

 of the pyrimidin base present in its molecule. 

 Dr. Levene has devised a new method of sep- 

 arating the pyrimidin bases, in which he avoids 

 the precipitation with silver. With this 

 method he has obtained from the animal 

 nucleic acid (derived from the spleen and 

 pancreas), besides thymin and cytosin, also 

 uracil. The radicle of the latter substance 

 had been supposed to occur only in the plant 

 nucleic acid. Kossel and Stendel have made 

 the same observation in regard to the nucleic 

 acids derived from the thymus gland and 

 from fish sperm. 



Respiration Experiments in Phlorhizin 

 Diabetes: Graham Lusk (with A. E. Mandel). 



An experiment on a diabetic dog showed 

 that whether fasting, or fed on meat alone, 

 or on meat and fat, no more fat was burned 

 than in the same dog when he was normal 

 and fasting. 



A Modified Ech Fistula, with a Note on 

 Adrenalin Olycwmia: A. ~N. Richards. 



A method devised by Vosburgh and Rich- 

 ards for establishing communication between 

 the portal vein and the inferior vena cava of 

 the dog was described and demonstrated. In 

 this method two cannulas are employed. They 

 are constructed on the same principle as the 

 one used by Vosburgh and Richards in col- 

 lecting blood from the hepatic and portal 

 veins without interfering with the normal 

 circulation in those vessels (Amer. Journ. 

 Physiol, 1903, IX., p. 43). After suitable 

 incision through the abdominal wall a can- 

 nula of that type, 1 cm. long, was inserted 

 into the portal vein about 2' cm. below the 

 entrance of the pancreatico-duodenalis. A 

 second cannula of similar design was intro- 

 duced into the vena cava at a corresponding 

 point. By connecting the cannulas with a 

 rubber tube, communication was established 

 between the two vessels. On ligating the 

 hepatic arteries and the portal vein at the 



