394 
R. P. HIBBARD 
Total Solids CaO MgO SO3 CI 
Parts per 100,000. . .33.9 11.06 00 .025 
The Problem of Adjustment 
It seems that marked and sudden changes from waters of low 
resistance to waters of high resistance would affect the equilibrium 
between the physical and chemical mechanisms of the living cell. 
When the changes are not so great the deleterious effects will not be 
so great and the organism can survive in a medium, in which, if 
thrust suddenly, it would die. This fact also suggests another gen- 
erally admitted but so often overlooked in biological studies. If 
comparative results are desired, the organisms used must be living 
under uniform conditions previous to the time of experimentation. 
Their future behavior depends as much on their internal nature, 
which is the result of their previous surroundings and past history, 
as on the condition of the surroundings into which they will be placed. 
One will not be offering a too daring interpretation if he regard this 
feature of adjustment as a very im.portant one in the consideration 
of the injurious effect of distilled water. My experiments agree in 
general with the results obtained by Daniels^^ who concluded that 
death of Paramecia in distilled water was caused by the sudden change 
in media. 
Peters states, "that if a change from culture liquid to pure water 
be made as rapidly as in these experiments (with Stentor and Para- 
mecia) a fatal effect ensues. On account of the conception I have 
formed of the mode of action of the pure water, I would expect the 
same effect to occur even if the changes occupied a longer period of 
time." The inference is that the factor of adjustment is not im- 
portant. 
To test this theory of adjustment for lupine seedlings and distilled 
water, various mixtures of tap and distilled water were made. The 
seedlings were first placed in a beaker of tap water and allowed to 
grow in that for a definite time. Then all but 5 were removed and 
placed in a beaker containing a mixture of tap water and distilled 
water in the ratio of i : 4. After a definite time all but 5 of these 
were removed and placed in a mixture in the proportion of I : 8. 
This operation was repeated until 5 were placed in distilled water from 
14 Daniels, J. F. The Adjustment of Paramecia to Distilled Water and Its 
Bearing on the Problem of the Necessary Inorganic Salt Content. Amer. Journ. 
Physiol. 23: 48-63. 1908-9. 
