Il8 



Scientific Proceedings (74). 



persed in water, into a system consisting of a more or less perfect 

 dispersion of water in an external or continuous fibrin phase may 

 be further explained in a manner analogous to the explanation 

 offered for the transformation of emulsions of oil in water into 

 emulsions of water in oil, by considering the surface tension rela- 

 tions on both sides of a concentration film formed at the interface 

 between the dispersed fibrinogen particles and the surrounding 

 water. This phase of the question will be discussed in a subsequent 

 paper on the process of blood coagulation. 



This theory, that jelly formation depends on the extent of dis- 

 persion of colloidal aggregates when exposed to the effect of a 

 precipitating agent, offers an explanation for the variations in 

 permeability of a hypothetical protoplasmic membrane, or for that 

 matter of tissues as a whole, under the influence of suboxidation 

 products. A reduction in the concentration of OH ions available 

 for adsorption resulting from the presence of acids would render 

 the dispersion of certain colloidal aggregates less perfect than is 

 normally the case. These aggregates would then tend to pre- 

 cipitate rather than to undergo jelly formation when subjected to 

 the influence of coagulating agents. The structure formed would 

 necessarily be more permeable and would possess less strength 

 and elasticity than that formed under normal conditions of jelly 

 formation. The destruction of emulsions and jellies, with result- 

 ing precipitation of the soap present when the concentration of 

 NaCl exceeds .4M , probably bears some relation to the observation 

 of Jacques Loeb that marine organisms are rapidly destroyed when 

 exposed to that strength of NaCl, unless CaCl 2 or some other 

 antagonistic salt is added. 



The principle involved in the case of soap jellies considered 

 above applies equally well to the reverse type of jelly formation 

 where cations promote dispersion and anions exert an aggregating 

 or precipitating effect. 



The writer wishes to express his indebtedness to Miss Ruth 

 Theis for her assistance in carrying out certain of the experiments 

 referred to in this paper. 



