236 



Scientific Proceedings (121). 



the growth of the seedlings. Ecgonin hydrochloride inhibited 

 growth in concentrations of .0055 per cent., while benzoyl ecgonin 

 was much less toxic, requiring 2 J per cent, concentration to affect 

 the growth. Methyl alcohol was found to be very little toxic to 

 the roots of the lupinus, requiring 4.8 per cent, to produce an 

 inhibition of growth. Contrary to expectation the most toxic 

 decomposition product of cocaine was found to be sodium ben- 

 zoate, a compound which is practically non-toxic for animal 

 tissues. Sodium benzoate was found to be deleterious to the 

 lupinus root in concentrations of 0.007 P er cent. ; while the ester 

 methyl-benzoate was found to produce inhibition in concentra- 

 tions of 0.014 per cent. Various simple mixtures of ecgonin, 

 sodium benzoate, methyl alcohol, benzoyl ecgonin, etc., were also 

 studied and the effects of these will be described in the complete 

 paper in the Journal of General Physiology. 



103 (1850) 

 Spontaneous cure of rickets in rats. 



By ALFRED F. HESS, LESTER J. UNGER and A. M. PAPPENHEIMER. 



[From the Department of Pathology, College oj Physicians and 

 Surgeons, New York City.] 



It has long been believed that in infants healing of rickets 

 occurs in spite of the diet and environment remaining unchanged. 

 Some time ago in the course of an experiment on the curative 

 effect of sunlight in the rickets of rats, it was observed that rickets 

 healed in two of the control animals. One of these rats was on 

 the Sherman and Pappenheimer diet plus 25 mg. P. per cent, and 

 the other on the same diet with an addition of 50 mg. P. per cent. 

 The rats weighed 34 g. at the outset, and after 30 days showed 

 rickets by x-ray. After 62 days the radiograph was negative in 

 one instance and demonstrated healing in the other. Autopsies 

 of both revealed no gross rachitic changes; microscopic examina- 

 tion showed healed rickets at the costo-chondral junctions in one 

 instance, in the other no rickets was found but some autolysis 

 had taken place. 



