39§ 



Scientific Proceedings (124). 



whether the above differences were due to the differences in tem- 

 perature. This was shown not to be the case: it was the illumina- 

 tion and not the temperature which rendered the drug more toxic. 

 Further experiments revealed that it was the light waves from the 

 violet end of the spectrum that were the most effective in increas- 

 ing the toxicity of quinidin. In still other experiments the rays 

 of an electric arc lamp were utilized instead of sunlight and the 

 same potentiation in toxicity was qualitatively noted. Finally 

 a few experiments on excised frogs' hearts were performed and the 

 results obtained so far have maintained the above findings. 



In the above experiments an aqueous solution of quinidin was 

 used because quinidin solutions are known to lose much of their 

 fluorescence when alkalis or even sodium chloride are added to 

 them. Tests made however by adding various amounts of blood 

 serum and even sodium chloride to solutions of quinidin sulphate 

 indicated that while these decreased the fluorescence markedly 

 they did not abolish it completely; and it was further found that 

 even such poorly fluorescent substances showed the difference in 

 toxicity as between light and darkness described above. 



Quinin solutions were found to behave in much the same way 

 as those of quinidin. It may also be added that the toxic effect 

 on frogs appears much more rapidly if the animals are placed in 

 such a position as to allow the sunlight to fall directly on the white 

 unpigmented skin of the abdomen, instead of the pigmented skin 

 of the rest of the body. Further and more extensive work on the 

 subject is in progress and will be continued. The present note is 

 published as a preliminary communication and in order to fix 

 priority of date of discover}'. 



197 (1944' 



The therapeutic effect of germanium dioxide in anemia. 



By LUDWIG KAST, HILDA M. CROLL and HERBERT W. SCHMITZ. 



[From the Departments of Medicine and Biochemistry, Xeic York 

 Post-Graduate Medical School and Hospital, Xew York City.] 



The erythropoietic action of germanium dioxide in animals 

 and in one normal man was demonstrated by Hammett and 



