3i8 



Scientific Proceedings (123). 



The behavior of sulfonic acid groups was tested by a study of 

 sulfanilic acid. It was found that this substance behaves exactly 

 like acid fuchsin: the commoner gram-negative bacteria, when 

 exposed to it at 45 0 C. are readily killed, gram-positive aerobes 

 under the same treatment remaining uninjured. This would 

 seem to be proof that the reverse selective property of acid fuchsin 

 (reverse, that is to say, as compared with gentian violet) depends 

 on the sulfonic- acid groups which it contains. 



Since opposite selective activities have thus been demon- 

 strated for two dyes (magenta and acid fuchsin) — one of which 

 kills gram-positive spore bearers and spares gram-negatives, 

 while the other does just the reverse — and since the chemical 

 group in the latter substance which is responsible for its selective 

 activity has been determined, data would seem to be at hand for 

 the determination of the fundamental cause of the difference be- 

 tween these two types of organisms. 



146 (1893) 

 Detoxication in the organism of the fowl. 



By CARL P. SHERWIN and JAMES H. CROWDLE. 



[From the Department of Chemistry, Fordham University, New York 



City.] 



Various organic compounds more or less toxic to the organism 

 have been fed to human beings as well as to many of the lower 

 animals, but little work of this kind has been carried out with 

 the fowl. 



Previous investigation has shown that the first action of the 

 animal body is an attempt at complete oxidation of the foreign 

 molecule. Should this fail, an effort is next made to render the 

 compound less toxic by means of reduction with or without sub- 

 sequent oxidation. If neither of these types of reactions suffi- 

 ciently alters the foreign substance, recourse is finally had to a 

 synthetic type of reaction by which the original compound is 

 joined in most cases with another compound or radical. 



It may be said in general that the effect of oxidation or reduc- 

 tion upon a compound of this kind is to produce either an alcohol 



