Protein Sparing by Glucose. 



69 



The solutions to which the bacteria were exposed contained 

 respectively, calcium chloride alone, sodium chloride alone, and a 

 mixture of the two salts in the ratio of five molecules of sodium to 

 one modecule of calcium. The tonicity varied from nothing to a 

 ten times isotonic condition. 



It is evident that the calcium salt alone exerts a marked lethal 

 action. Even a o.l isotonic solution shows a distinct reduction 

 in bacterial numbers and increasing proportions grow more deadly 

 till a 5.0 times isotonic solution produces sterility in 6 hours. 

 The sodium salt is less harmful. Tonicities of 0.5 and 1.0 show a 

 slight effect, and a tonicity of 5.0 a marked effect, but the latter 

 concentration does not completely sterilize even after 52 hours. 

 A mixture of the two salts in proportion of 5 parts of sodium to 

 one of calcium is much more favorable than either salt alone. Up 

 to and including a tonicity of 5.0 the bacteria actually increase 

 in numbers. Line D of Table III shows that 3.5 per cent, sodium 

 chloride plus 1.3 per cent, calcium chloride had no harmful in- 

 fluence, while in Table II .4 per cent, of sodium chloride alone, and 

 in Table I less than .2 per cent, of calcium chloride alone exerted 

 a demonstrable lethal effect. 



The toxic effect of calcium and sodium salts and their antago- 

 nistic influence upon each other seem to be much the same among 

 the bacteria as in the higher forms of life; and the viability curve 

 in water would seem well suited for the study of such phenomena. 



149 (1327) 



Protein sparing by glucose in experimental diabetes. 

 By N. W. Janney and V. I. Isaacson. 



[From the Montefiore Home and Hospital, New York City.] 



In diabetes there are abnormalities not only in carbohydrate 

 but also in protein and fat metabolism as well. There is fre- 

 quently a marked loss of protein in this disease, which may be 

 either direct or the result of a failure on the part of carbohydrate 

 to spare protein. Our experiments deal with one phase of protein 

 metabolism in experimental diabetes, the influence of the removal 

 of the major portion of the pancreas on the characteristic protein 

 sparing action of glucose. For this purpose several female dogs 



