142 



Scientific Proceedings (39). 



diminished diastolic filling of the heart. This condition I would 

 call acapnial oligaemia, or exsanguinity. It is compensated 

 temporarily by constriction of the arterioles. The blood stream 

 diminishes until finally it is insufficient to supply the oxygen 

 needed by the tissues. Then tissue asphyxia, and acute acidosis 

 quickly result. The colloids of the tissues in asphyxial acidosis 

 imbibe water in the same manner as does fibrin when soaked in 

 dilute acid. The vascular system is thus emptied as if by hemor- 

 rhage. Fluid passes from the blood into the tissues almost as 

 fast as it can be supplied by intra-venous infusion of saline. 



Thus there are two sequences: (1) pain-hyperpncea, acapnia, 

 and fatal apncea vera, i. e., failure of respiration; (2) pain-hyper- 

 pncea, acapnial oligaemia, and cyto-asphyxial oligaemia, i. e., 

 failure of the circulation because of exsanguinity. 



A full discussion of this topic and its literature will soon be 

 published in the American Journal of Physiology. 



90 (500) 



Observations on the nature of the antitrypsin of the serum. 



By E. WEIL and S. FELDSTEIN. 



[From the Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Cornell 

 University Medical School, New York.] 

 In a previous communication to this society, it was shown by 

 the authors that the viscosimeter offers a method for determining 

 the anti-try ptic activity of serum which is extremely accurate, 

 delicate and constant in its results. Further study by means of 

 this method has revealed the fact that this so-called anti-tryptic 

 activity is in reality very much more complex than had hitherto 

 been suspected. If a series of intracellular enzymes are prepared 

 from various human organs and from carcinomata, according to the 

 method of Wiechowski, by drying, it becomes possible to test the in- 

 hibitory action of any given serum against each of these enzymes by 

 the use of the viscosimeter. This has been done by the authors with 

 a considerable number of sera. The resulting figures, which have 

 been constant in successive experiments, demonstrate that the 

 inhibitory value of each serum is distinct and different for each 

 of the enzymes tested. These differences are extreme, inasmuch 



