June 30, 1905.] 



extreme and all degenerated areas are in- 

 filtrated with calcium salts. 



Whether the vascular changes are due to a 

 primary toxic action of the adrenalin or 

 whether they are the result of the increased 

 arterial tension which it causes, has not been 

 determined. 



On the Chemical and Physiological Properties 

 of Bicin, with Demonstrations : Thomas B. 

 Osborne and Lafayette B. Mendel. 

 The most active preparation proved fatal 

 when administered subcutaneously to rabbits 

 in the small dose of 0.0005 milligram per kilo 

 of body weight. The toxic constituent of the 

 castor bean appears to be an albumin. Eicin 

 is like other albumins in composition, heat 

 coagulation, color reactions, precipitation re- 

 actions, specific rotation, state of combination 

 of its nitrogen, etc. By tryptic digestion the 

 agglutinating power of pure ricin may be 

 greatly impaired or destroyed. The experience 

 of the authors lends no encouragement to at- 

 tempts to ' purify ' such toxins by methods 

 designed to eliminate proteid substances from 

 the active materials. 



On a Method of Determining Indol, with 

 Demonstrations: C. A. Heeter and M. 

 Louise Foster. 



The authors described a rapid and accurate 

 means of determining indol. It is based on 

 the fact that indol, in slightly alkaline solu- 

 tion, readily condenses with naphthoquinon 

 sodium mono-sulfonate and forms a blue 

 crystalline compound that is only very slightly 

 soluble in water but is readily extracted by 

 chloroform from a watery solution or suspen- 

 sion. The condensation product is di-indyl 

 naphtho-ketone mono-sulfonate. Its solution 

 in choloroform is red. The method is well 

 adapted for colorimetric or gravimetric deter- 

 minations. 



Anesthesia Produced by Magnesium Salts, 

 with Demonstrations. A Preliminary Com- 

 munication: S. J. Meltzer and John Auer. 

 The authors exhibited two guinea pigs which 

 were deeply narcotized by subcutaneous injec- 

 tions of magnesium sulfate. One of these 

 animals had been similarly narcotized twice 



987 



before and fully recovered each time. If the 

 dose of magnesium salt is not too large, heart 

 beat, blood pressure and respiration remain 

 nearly normal during periods of narcosis in 

 which any operation can be performed without 

 resistance. Certain maximum doses can not 

 be exceeded without causing extremely toxic 

 effects. 



Enzymes and Anti-enzymes of Inflammatory 



Exudates: Eugene L. Opie. 



Inflammatory exudates removed from the 

 pleural cavities of dogs one or two days after 

 injection of the irritant (aleuronat) undergo 

 very little change, while those removed three 

 or more days after the onset of inflammation 

 exliibit appreciable though slight autolysis. 

 There is no relation between the amount of 

 digestion and the number of cells which are 

 present. The serum inhibits autolysis in a 

 suspension of the cells separated by centrif- 

 ugalization. The antilytic action of the 

 serum is favored by an alkaline reaction, but 

 is completely prevented in an acid medium. 

 The serum of the exudate contains a pro- 

 teolytic ferment" which is active only in an 

 acid medium. In the later stages of such 

 inflammations there is some diminution of the 

 antilytic power of the exudate. 

 Shallow Well Waters of Brooklyn: James P. 



Atkinson. 



The author's observations justify the con- 

 clusions that the sandy soil of Brooklyn can 

 not be relied upon as a safe filter for the well 

 waters of that borough, that Brooklyn soil 

 in populous districts seems to be nearing the 

 saturation point for sewage, and that many 

 of the shallow wells in Brooklyn are, there- 

 fore, in growing danger of serious pollution. 



The Influence of the External Temperature 

 upon the Viscosity of the Blood: Russell 

 Burton-Opitz. 



The author has found that the viscosity of 

 the ' living ' blood can be greatly influenced 

 by changing the external temperature. Vis- 

 cosity was markedly increased in dogs im- 

 mersed in water at 25° C. Warm water baths 

 (42°-45° C.) produced a corresponding de- 

 crease in the viscosity. Specific gravity of 

 the blood showed corresponding variations. 



SCIENCE. 



