948 General Notes. : [ September, 
salts of magnesia, and salts of magnesia are less favorable than 
salts of soda. 
5. Outside of the salts dissolved in sea water the sulphate of 
soda seems to possess a well-established preserving neutrality. 
6. The death of bivalves is caused by a general weakening of 
the muscles. 
7. As the muscles can no longer draw together or open the 
valves, the animal is exposed to the unfavorable or poisonous 
action of the element. 
A New EXPLANATION OF THE Process OF INFLAMMATION.—In 
the last number of the Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science 
there is a translation of Dr. Elias Metschnikoff’s paper “On the 
Mesodermic Phagocytes of certain Vertebrates,” originally pub- 
lished in the Biologischer Centralblatt. Metschnikoff has shown 
elsewhere that certain amceboid cells in the tissues of the inver- 
these organisms were especially abundant in the “ hæmophag® 
cytes” or white blood corpuscles of the spleen. This fact, i 
together with the probability that the spleen has no very import 
ant physiological function, since animals live without much af 
parent discomfort after its complete excision, seems to indicate 4 
prophylactic function for the spleen, it being merely a protectial 
against septic bodies such as bacteria, the removal of which from 
the body is its function. 
_ To apply these facts to the process of inflammation. Whea 
inflammation was induced in the tail of a newt, the first oe 
enon was the collection of connective-tissue “ phagocytes’ TOU", 
the injured cells, followed by the passage of “ haemophagocy*® i 
or white blood corpuscles through the walls of neighboring capil 
laries, both collecting apparently for the purpose of devoun 
and so removing the ruptured, dead and dying cells. ie 
In fact the essence of the whole inflammatory process May 
