66 (236) Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. 



tion of ammonia at the expense of the urea. It is therefore con- 

 cluded that subcutaneous injections of large quantities of dextrose 

 do not give any evidence of toxic action, that is, of an acidosis, as 

 advocated by Scott. 



The experiments suggest that the subcutaneous injection of 

 large quantities of dextrose may be useful as a method of paren- 

 teral feeding, since quantities up to seven grams per kilo in the 

 dog and rabbit may be given without the appearance in the urine 

 of more than the merest trace of the sugar. 



42 (134). " Diffusion into Colloids and a Biological Method for 

 Testing the Rate of Diffusion": SIMON FLEXNER and 

 HIDEYO NOGUCHI. 



Certain experiments on the destructive action of bile and bile 

 salts upon the pancreas made by Flexner indicated that colloidal 

 substances restrained the action of the salts. It was suggested 

 that this restraint probably depended upon a reduction in the 

 rapidity of diffusion of the salts into the tissues. The studies of 

 Voigtlander on the influence of colloids (agar-agar) on the rate of 

 diffusion of certain crystalloids tended to show that diffusion into 

 agar-agar jelly takes place at about the same rate as into water. 

 The experiments summarized in this communication were made with 

 hemolytic substances suspended in isotonic saline solution and in 

 agar-agar and gelatin jelly. The rate of diffusion could be meas- 

 ured by the depth and degree of hemolysis produced in a jelly 

 containing in suspension susceptible red blood-corpuscles. The ex- 

 periments were varied. The red corpuscles were suspended in the 

 warm jelly which was permitted to congeal. The blood jelly was 

 overlaid with the hemolyzing agent dissolved in saline solution, 

 or this agent was also contained in a solidified jelly. The hemo- 

 lyzer was made to diffuse either downwards or upwards according 

 as the blood, or hemolyzer, jelly was above or below. More- 

 over, the hemolyzer was placed in the jelly and made to diffuse 

 upwards into a watery solution, the amount of diffusion being 

 measured by the degree of hemolysis caused by the fluid removed 

 at given intervals. Two factors were always considered, extent or 

 degree of hemolysis, and time. 



The substances employed were mineral and organic acids, 

 alkalies, sodium taurocholate, saponin, solanin, venom, and tetan- 

 olysin. The results can be stated in general terms as follows : 



