82 



Scientific Proceedings (28). 



The summary here given indicates a comparative richness of 

 the nonstriated muscle in Ca. It is suggested that this may bear 

 some relation to the characteristic physiological properties of such 

 tissue, viz., tonic contraction and automatic rhythmic activity, both 

 of which can be facilitated by Ca ions. 



45 (301) 



Increased susceptibility of protozoa to poison due to treat- 

 ment with alcohol. 



By LORANDE LOSS WOODRUFF. 



\_From the Sheffield Biological Laboratory of Yale University '.] 



The protozoa on which the experiments were performed were 

 from two cultures (each comprising four lines) — one of Parame- 

 cium which had been under daily observations for over nine months, 

 and the other of Stylonychia which had been under daily observa- 

 tion for over two months when the experiments were begun. The 

 daily rate of division of each of these cultures was known. 



From each of these cultures two secondary cultures were iso- 

 lated line by line, and these were treated in identically the same 

 way as the original or "control" cultures, except that each re- 

 ceived daily for over a month a certain amount of alcohol in the 

 culture medium of hay infusion. One culture received one part 

 of alcohol to 2,500 parts of culture medium and the other received 

 two parts of alcohol to 2,500 parts of culture medium. 



Then, from each of the two control cultures and from each of 

 the four alcohol treated cultures, other cultures were isolated and 

 treated in identically the same way as the culture from which each 

 was respectively derived, except that each received one part of 

 copper sulphate to 1,250,000 parts of culture medium. 



From these experiments it was found that whereas the average 

 rate of division of the alcohol treated cultures was more rapid than 

 that of the control, the alcohol treated cultures were more sus- 

 ceptible to copper sulphate than the control series, and finally (in 

 the cultures carried to conclusion) died out while the control series 

 treated with copper sulphate survived. It was found that the pro- 

 tozoa which were subjected to the greater strength of alcohol 

 (2/2,500) divided more rapidly than those which were subjected to 



