May 12, 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



743 



the formation of urine, for the latter is in 

 part a filtration process. 



Further Observations upon the Phosphorized 

 Fats in Extracts of the Kidney: Edward K. 

 Dunham. (Presented by P. A. Levene.) 

 The author has found that beef kidney 

 yields protagon to the extent of 0.14 to 0.2 

 per cent, of its weight (fresh). The protagon 

 was obtained by the method recently used by 

 Cramer (Journal of Physiology, 1904, XXXI., 

 p. 31). On comparison with the protagon 

 obtained by the same method from beef brain, 

 it was found that the substance from the kid- 

 ney contained distinctly more nitrogen and 

 phosphorus than that from the brain. The 

 cleavage products, however, showed that both 

 substances are closely related. The following 

 percentage analytic data were obtained by Dr. 

 Levene : 



From T?rnm Roof Cramer's Data for 



Beef Kidney. Beef Brain 



(1) (2) arain. Protagon. 



C 65.61 65.55 65.76 66.25-66.42 



H 11.00 11.09 10.66 10 82-11.07 



N 3.16 3.25 2.51 2.29 



P .• 2 06 2.19 0.97 1.04 



S 0.82 — 1.3 i 0.71 



Comparative Physiological Action of Salts of 

 Neodymium, Prceseodymium and Lanthan- 

 um: B. J. Dryfuss and C. G. L. Wolf. 

 The experiments were carried out in vitro 

 and on unicellular organisms, bacteria and in- 

 fusoria, frogs, pigeons, rats and guinea pigs. 

 The solutions used were chiefly the chlorids, 

 isotonic with 0.6 per cent, sodium chlorid. 

 Dilute solutions were found to delay the 

 gi'owth of bacteria and eventually to kill. The 

 solutions were not very toxic to spores. 

 Opalina, paramoecia and vorticellse were killed 

 quickly, equivalent solutions of the chlorids 

 acting in the following order of strength: 

 neodymium, prseseodymium and lanthanum. 

 In frogs, voluntary and involuntary muscle 

 are quickly put out of action. The solutions 

 act in the same order as with unicellular or- 

 ganisms. Intravenous injection caused al- 

 most instant death, due to multiple embolism. 

 Attempted chronic poisoning gave unsatisfac- 

 tory results. The authors attribute a large 

 share of the acute effects observed to the acid 



present in their solutions owing to the hydro- 

 lytic dissociation of the salts. 



The Influence of Bile upon Blood Pressure: 

 S. J. Meltzer and William Salant. 

 The authors found that all degTces of effects 

 could be produced at will, from an insignifi- 

 cant one to a considerable, even a fatal, fall of 

 blood pressure. Besides the quantity and the 

 concentration of the bile it was found that the 

 rate at which it is introduced into the circula- 

 tion is the most effective factor in the result. 

 A quantity of bile of a given concentration, 

 which, when injected slowly, would cause only 

 an insignificant depression, brought about a 

 very great fall of the blood pressure when 

 injected rapidly. In control experiments it 

 was found that the mechanical and thermal 

 conditions attending the injections had no 

 observable influence on the pronounced effects 

 noted above. Previous conflicting statements 

 regarding the influence of bile on blood pres- 

 sure may be attributed, therefore, to results 

 due to different rates of injection. This 

 factor, clearly recognized in other connections, 

 had always been ignored in this. 



It is probable that the bile exerts an inhib- 

 itory effect upon the heart. The authors have 

 shown that the action on the heart is not due 

 to malnutrition caused by hemolytic influ- 

 ences. 



A Report of Feeding and Injection Experi- 

 ments on Dogs after the Establishment of 

 the Eck Fistula: P. B. Hawk. (Presented 

 by A. N. Richards.) 



Mixed diets were not attended by abnormal 

 symptoms. Diets consisting of beef meal and 

 milk or of fresh lean beef alone were followed 

 by ataxia, loss of sight and hearing, complete 

 anaesthesia and catalepsy. In some cases, 

 however, these effects were noted only after 

 the addition of Liebig's extract to the meat 

 diet. The administration to normal dogs of 

 sodium carbamate, either by mouth or by in- 

 travenous injection, gave rise to none of the 

 symptoms observed by Pawlow and Nencki. 



On Chemical Fertilization: Jacques Loeb. 



(Presented by William J. Gies.) 



The author found that when unfertilized 

 eggs of the sea urchin were exposed for about 



