Contributions from the Biological Laboratory of the U. S. Fish Commission 
Woods Hole, Massachusetts. 
BILIARY CALCULI IN THE SQUETEAGUE. 
By R. W. TOWER, 
Associate Professor of Chemical Physiology , Brown University . 
Pathological changes in marine animals seldom attract our attention, and it is 
indeed surprising that abnormal conditions are not more frequently found. The 
explanation of this must be either that these animals are remarkably free from disease 
or that the diseased individuals are quickly eliminated by the untoward conditions. 
In 1901, while at the Fish Commission laboratory at Woods Hole, my attention 
was called to the presence of gallstones in the squeteague ( Cyn oscion regalis) by Mr. 
A. K. Krause, who had occasion to collect the bile from some three hundred specimens 
of this species during the summer. Of this number only four showed any lesions of 
the liver or bile passages. In one, the liver was apparently cirrhotic; from the other 
three, gallstones were collected and preserved for the following investigations. 
The calculi in the first squeteague completely filled the gall bladder and the gall 
duct, in which no bile was found. These calculi (shown in the first or upper group) 
numbered 16 in all, weighed 2.165 grams, and were of all sizes from a big bean to a 
BB shot. The largest dried over sulphuric acid weighed 0.6725 grams; was 1.5 
centimeters long, 0.5 centimeter thick, and 0.75 centimeter wide. All of these calculi 
were more or less nodulated, as can be readily seen from plate xxi. When bisected 
in a longitudinal plane they are found to consist of concentric layers arranged around 
one or more nuclei, which were very small and consisted chiefly of cholesterin. It 
being impossible to pulverize the air-dried stones, they were minced as fine as possible 
and boiled with water. 
The aqueous extract («) contained only a trace of either organic or inorganic 
matter (see p. 134). The solid residue (/>) was extracted with hot alcohol. The alcohol 
( c ) was decanted and evaporated, giving a mere trace of bile pigments, with a little 
cholesterin. The solid residue (d) was next digested with ether until there was no 
further extraction. The ether solution (e) on evaporation yielded fat and cholesterin. 
The latter crystallized in characteristic plates which were easily identified under the 
microscope. Dissolved in chloroform these crystals gave the characteristic choles- 
terin reaction after the addition of sulphuric acid. The solid residue (f) was now 
extracted with dilute hydrochloric acid (1:3) for 12 hours. Effervescence of CO,, 
indicated the presence of carbonates, but in small amounts. The acid solution (g) was 
decanted, evaporated to dryness, and ignited. The ash dissolved readily in dilute 
hydrochloric acid and on analysis showed the presence of calcium, magnesium, iron, 
131 
