Jui-Y 1, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



25 



THE OCCURRENCE OF TAUEIN IN INVERTEBRATE 

 MUSCLE. 



A RECENTLY published paper by Agnes 

 Kelly* on the occurrence of taurin iri Pecten 

 opercularis and Mytilus edulis, leads me to 

 announce a similar observation on the occur- 

 rence of taurin among the muscle-extractives 

 of Sycotypus canaliculatus and Fulgur carica, 

 the zinc-bearing gastropods of Long Island 



Sound.f 



Taurin has been described as a constituent 

 of invertebrate muscle since 1845, when 

 Karsten isolated a crystalline body from the 

 watery extracts of certain molluscs, and iden- 

 tified it with the taurin separated from bile. 

 Since that time the list has been largely ex- 

 tended by Krukenberg and others, until it 

 includes the following molluscs: Doriopsis, 

 Turbo, Cassidaria, Mytilus, Ostrcea, Pinna, 

 Area, Spondylus, Pectunculus, Pecten, Murex, 

 Octopus, Loligo and Sepia. 



In a physiological-chemical study of vari- 

 ous molluscs, which has been in progress in 

 this laboratory for some time, under the di- 

 rection of Dr. Mendel, taurin was separated 

 in its characteristic crystal form, which, to- 

 gether with its sulphur content and chemical 

 reactions, left no doubt in regard to its iden- 

 tity. This was further established by an 

 analysis, which gave the following results: 



N. S. 



Calculated for NH..CHj.CH,.S03H.11.22% 25.62% 

 Found 11.37 % 25.89 % 



Taurin has also been obtained from the 

 muscles of Haliotis, the ' abalone ' of the 

 Pacific coast, by Professors L. B. Mendel and 

 M. E. Jaffa, and likewise identified by an- 

 alysis. 



The finding of taurin — amido-ethyl-sul- 

 phonic acid — among the products of muscle 

 katabolism in invertebrates is of particular 

 physiological interest in view of the close re- 

 lationship which has recently been shown to 

 exist between taurin, cystin and the proteids.:): 



* Agnes Kelly, ' Hofmeister's Beitrage zur 

 chemischen Physiologie,' V., p. 377, 1904. 



t Cf. Science, Vol. XIX., No. 474, January 29, 

 1904. 



t Friedmann, ' Ergebnisse der Physiologie,' 

 1902-3, I., 1, and 11., 1. 



The apparent association of taurin and 

 glycocoll — amido-acetic acid — in molluscs, re- 

 calls the related occurrence of derivatives of 

 these compounds in higher organisms. 



Harold C. Bradley. 

 Laboratory of Physiologicai Chemistry, 

 Sheffield Scientific School of Yale 

 University, New Haven, Conn. 



THE PTERIDOSPERMAPHYTA. 



Such is the name that I would propose to 

 give to those plants, long extinct though they 

 may all be, having the general character of 

 Pteridophyta, but bearing seeds as in the 

 Spermatophyta.* Such forms are now 

 rapidly coming to light and are too well 

 known to botanists to require enumeration. 

 The name Cycadofilices which has been ap- 

 plied to them seems objectionable in several 

 respects. While most of them do partake of 

 the nature of both cycads and ferns, it is not 

 certain that all do so, and additional ones may 

 not entirely justify this designation. It is 

 probable that they may, if some already known 

 do not now, show affinities with the Finales 

 as well as with the Cycadales, and it is not at 

 all improbable either that calamarian foi-ms 

 will be found with true seed vessels. A name 

 is needed that shall express the broader fact 

 that the ancient Pteridophytes occasionally 

 developed so far in their reproductive system 

 that they take on the characters of Sperma- 

 tophytes. The term Pteridospermaphyta ex- 

 presses this truth. It is somewhat long, but 

 not longer than a number of the terms used in 

 current systems of classification for which 

 there are far less cogent reasons. It has the 

 further advantage of denoting the true order 

 or direction of development, and not the in- 

 verted order denoted by the term Cycadofilices. 



The Pteridospermaphyta constitute a phy- 

 lum coordinate with the Pteridophyta and 

 Spermatophyta. They mark the progress of 

 plant development from the standpoint of the 

 reproductive organs. It is true that they 

 bridge over a great chasm hitherto supposed 

 to be impassable, but this is what we ought to 

 expect as the knowledge of nature increases. 



* This term is shortened by some writers to 

 Spermaphyta. 



