The Mechanism of Boric Acid Hemolysis. 



103 



movement (5) was seldom observed and (6) was never seen after 

 the fibers had been severed. 



Destroying the motorium or cutting its attached fibers inter- 

 rupts coordination in the movements of the adoral membranelles 

 and anal cirri. 



Any incision not severing either the membranelle fiber or the 

 fibers to the anal cirri does not impair normal creeping or swim- 

 ming movements although equal in extent to incisions which 

 sever these fibers and result in loss of coordination. The con- 

 clusion is drawn that the fibrils of the neuromotor system are 

 conductile. 



61 (1436) 



The mechanism of boric acid hemolysis. 



By M. Kosakai (by invitation). 



[From the Department of Bacteriology, Cornell University Medical 

 College, New York City.] 



Red blood corpuscles can be suspended, without direct injury, 

 in a medium containing 1 per cent, of boric acid. 



The corpuscles so treated are completely hemolyzed by sudden 

 immersion in a suitable volume of isotonic saline or sugar solution, 

 or in serum. 



Sudden immersion of the treated corpuscles in any volume of 

 concentrated saline or sugar solutions does not cause hemolysis 

 and after such immersion the treated corpuscles are found to have 

 lost their sensitiveness to immersion in isotonic saline solutions. 



The gradual addition of a hemolytic volume of isotonic saline 

 solution to the treated blood corpuscles causes no hemolysis and 

 after such addition the treated corpuscles are found to have lost 

 their sensitiveness to sudden immersion in isotonic saline solu- 

 tions. 



These observations indicate that the force operative in the 

 "boric acid hemolysis" is that of osmotic pressure and this as- 

 sumption is confirmed by the demonstration of a diffusion of the 

 reagent into the corpuscles and by the fact that, for corpuscles 

 that have been treated with a certain concentration of the boric 

 acid, the minimal non-hemolytic concentrations of various sub- 

 stances are of identical "osmotic concentration ". 



