1070 
Kemp.—Note on the Action of 
immersion in strychnine. These differences are significant in a comparison 
of the results obtained with eggs, with those obtained with somatic cells. 
The authors classed the alkaloids roughly according to the nature of 
their action, and stated that whereas quinine and chloral seemed to diminish 
the contractility of the protoplasm, destroyed the achromatic fibres, and 
seriously inhibited karyokinesis and the subsequent division of the cell, 
strychnine (and nicotine) on the contrary greatly increased the contractility 
of the protoplasm, and exercised no injurious effect upon either the 
achromatic structures or the processes of karyokinesis and cell-division. 
They further showed that with a stronger solution of strychnine(o-oi %-o-s &5 %) 
and prolonged immersion (2-3 hrs.) further development of the egg was 
arrested, and regressive metamorphosis ensued, terminated by fragmentation. 
They concluded that strychnine (as also nicotine and morphine) did not 
affect karyokinesis in any specific way, but only, if used in a sufficiently 
strong solution, by inducing a general inhibition of the metabolic processes, 
resulting, if severe, in complete degeneration of the egg. 
The occurrence of tripolar and quadripolar division figures after treat¬ 
ment with chloral or quinine, i. e. the class of alkaloids opposed to that 
containing strychnine, is noted by the authors as being perhaps due to the 
condition of polyspermy, rather than directly to the action of the drugs 
themselves. This introduction of a confusing factor is certainly a serious 
disadvantage attaching to the use of polyspermy as an indicator of the 
action of the poisons. But it appears probable that the figures in question 
arise as a direct result of the drugs, rather than of the condition of poly¬ 
spermy, since in 1893 Galeotti (2) described similar irregular mitoses, 
occurring in regenerating epithelial cells of the salamander on treatment with 
quinine and certain other alkaloids; and mitoses of the same character also 
occur in the somatic tissue of plants which have been subjected to the 
action of chloral (Nemec (8), Kemp ( 5 )). 
In 1896 R. Hertwig ( 4 ) published the results of ^further experiments 
with strychnine upon Echinoderm eggs. He showed that by treating them 
with solutions of different strengths, the unfertilized eggs could be induced 
to form spindles of different degrees of completion; also that on pushing 
the process further and using one of the stronger percentages (over o-i %) 
for a longer time (3-5 hrs.), inhibition of the artificially induced activity 
took place, followed by degeneration of the egg. He noted that the 
connexion between the mitosis of the nucleus and division of the cell was 
uncertain, and that the former was frequently followed by a series of abnormal 
imperfect divisions, giving rise to various multinucleate or anucleate con¬ 
ditions. He also noted that fragmentation of the cell might take place 
apart from any true mitosis of the nucleus, and that such fragmentation was 
preceded by dissolution of the nuclear membrane and scattering of the 
chromosomes throughout the cytoplasm to form swollen vesicular bodies. 
