30 (200) Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. 



11 (103). "The action of eosin and erythrosin upon snake 

 venom," with demonstrations: HlDEYO NOGUCHI. (Com- 

 municated by SIMON FLEXNER.) 



The hemolytic principles of venom react differently to eosin 

 depending upon their native labilities. The hemolysin of Crotalus 

 venom suffers most ; that of Daboia next, while that of Cobra is 

 the most resistant. 



The toxicity of different venoms is more or less diminished 

 by eosin in the light. Cobra is least affected ; Crotalus and Daboia 

 venoms are most affected. Crotalus venom loses its toxicity chiefly 

 by destruction of hemorrhagin, and Daboia by destruction of 

 coagulin. 



Neurotoxin is little or not at all affected by eosin or erythrosin. 



There is a parallel between the susceptibility of the toxic 

 principles of snake venom to fluorescent anilins and to other injurious 

 influences. Hemorrhagin and coagulin are less stable at high tem- 

 peratures than neurotoxin, and more easily destroyed by acids than 

 neurotoxin and hematoxin. 



12 (104). "On the decomposition of purin bodies by animal 

 tissues " : P. A. LEVENE and W. A. BEATTY. 



The authors aimed in this work to study the products of de- 

 composition of purin bodies in the tissues. Jones, Schittenhelm 

 and Levene have observed that aminopurins are transformed into 

 oxypurins. It is well known that purin bodies undergo complete 

 destruction in the course of tissue autolysis. 



The authors have studied the conditions most favorable for the 

 process of purin decomposition by animal tissues, and have en- 

 deavored to ascertain the general nature of the substances formed 

 during the process. It was found that the presence of 0.5 per 

 cent, of sodium carbonate in mixtures of spleen pulp facilitated the 

 decomposition of purin bodies to such an extent that even uric acid 

 was broken up by that tissue. It was also noticed that the decom- 

 position products were nonbasic in nature, for they were not pre- 

 cipitated by phosphotungstic acid. On the decomposition of uric 

 acid by tissue extracts, a formation of ammonia could not be de- 

 tected. 



