156 



Scientific Proceedings (76). 



Raw egg-white can be made digestible through coagulation 

 by heat; by precipitation with alcohol, chloroform, or ether; by 

 incubation with dilute acids or alkalies; by partial digestion by 

 pepsin; by conversion into alkali meta-protein. 



The indigestibility of native egg-white probably lies either in 

 its antitryptic content or in its chemical constitution. Its physical 

 texture appears to play a minor part in its behavior. 



Of the individual proteins constituting egg-white, the albumin 

 fraction appears to be the indigestible component. 



The whites of the hen's egg and duck's egg act alike in causing 

 diarrhea and in being poorly utilized. 



Egg-yolk either raw or cooked is excellently utilized. It 

 sometimes causes digestive disturbances in dogs, apparently 

 because of its high fat content. 



A review of the literature shows that dietitians have relied, 

 in general, upon the early observations of Beaumont as support 

 for the use of raw eggs. These observations were in the main 

 exact; but, so far as the digestibility of raw egg-white is concerned, 

 were misinterpreted. 



In current dieto-therapy raw whole eggs, raw egg-white and 

 albumen-water are extensively prescribed. There appears to be 

 little in their conduct as foodstuffs, however, to warrant such 

 faith in their nutritive value or ease of assimilation. 



87 (1151) 



The position of the head after experimental removal of the otic 



labyrinth. 



By A. L. Prince. (By invitation.) 



[From the Physiological Laboratories of Columbia University, and 

 the Yale Medical School.] 



In the vertebrates usually employed in the physiological 

 laboratory, unilateral destruction of the otic labyrinth is imme- 

 diately followed by a permanent torsion of the head to the in- 

 jured side. 1 In a series of experiments on cats, I have found that 

 this posture is associated with diminished tonus in the cervical 



1 Wilson and Pike, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, London, 

 1912, series B, Vol. 203, pp. 127-160. 



