22 



Scientific Proceedings (6i). 



difficulty. This on hydrolysis in the presence of NaCl would 

 yield HC1. That certain of the leucocytes carry the Ca and P 

 for this process is probable as well as that they serve to carry 

 away the basic phosphate which however would be formed in 

 smaller amounts than corresponds to Maley's conception. As- 

 suming (which is not necessarily the case) that all phosphoric 

 acid were split off as acid Ca phosphate we should expect the 

 gastric juice to contain appreciable amounts of acid Ca phosphate 

 and that this might be roughly proportional to the acidity. The 

 former is apparently correct, while the latter appears from the 

 few cases studied, to be probable. 



Confirmatory of this view are the findings of high acidity and 

 efficient digestion associated with hyperf unction of pituitary and 

 thyroid and the opposite with hypofunction. Also the decrease 

 of gastric secretion after parathyroidectomy (Keeton 1 ), aided 

 by Ca salt administration; and favorable effect on acid secretion 

 in some achylias of parathyroid treatment (Rehfuss 2 ). These 

 presumably act by a stimulation of the nucleolysis necessary for 

 acid production or by mobilizing the acid carrying cells. These 

 relations are still being investigated. 



15 (947) 



Phospho-nuclease as related to phosphorus and calcium metab- 

 olism. 



By Olaf Bergeim. 



[From the Laboratory of Physiological Chemistry of Jefferson Medi- 

 cal College.] 



Studies made in this laboratory of the Ca metabolism in 

 certain ductless gland disturbances have emphasized to us the 

 unsatisfactory nature of the views held with regard to Ca distri- 

 bution and calcification. In our case of acromegaly 3 with hyper- 

 function of hypophysis Ca absorption and excretion were marked, 

 the absorption apparently taking place even from the difficultly 



1 Keeton, Am. J. Physiol., 33, 25, 1914. 



2 Rehfuss, unpublished results from this laboratory. 



8 Bergeim, Stewart and Hawk, J. Exp. Med., XX, 218, 1914. 



