Determination of Moisture Content. 355 



the reflux of sterile bile under such conditions does produce pan- 

 creatitis, such cause for the condition must be very rare ; few cases 

 are on record. A reflux of bile could not have been the cause in 

 any of our cases of acute pancreatitis. It should be noted that 

 any mechanism which will afford the possibility for bile to pass 

 into the pancreatic duct will also obstruct the flow of pancreatic 

 juice. Furthermore, bile has been found in the pancreatic duct 

 without acute pancreatitis. Pathologists should, in all cases of 

 pancreatitis, examine the relationship of the two ducts to the duo- 

 denum and to each other in order to determine if it is anatomically 

 possible for bile to pass into the pancreatic duct. Our data con- 

 clusively prove that we must look elsewhere for the explanation 

 of the cause of most cases of pancreatitis. 



171 (1918) 



A rapid method for the determination of the moisture content 

 of expressed plant-tissue fluids. 



By ROSS AIKEN GORTNER and WALTER F. HOFFMAN. 



[From the Division of Agricultural Biochemistry, University of 

 Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn.] 



The moisture content of expressed plant saps can be measured 

 by determining the refractive index of the sap using an Abbe 

 refractometer provided with a special "sugar scale." 



In a series of determinations we have found that more accu- 

 rate results can be obtained by the refractometric method than 

 can be obtained by drying weighed portions of the saps in a vacuum 

 oven. The results are fully as accurate as are those obtained by 

 drying in vacuo at room temperature over sulfuric acid. 



The great advantage of the method lies in the fact that only 

 2 or 3 drops of sap are necessary and that the entire time of meas- 

 urement need not exceed two minutes. 



It appears probable that the method may be applied to other 

 biological fluids. A more extended account of the method will 

 appear in a botanical journal. 



