674 
Ben trier.—Diphasic L iquid Systems 
As a detailed description of these experiments is not possible here, it 
may be stated that the conclusions of Macdonald, cited above, were com¬ 
pletely confirmed. Further, it was possible to make clear the nature of the 
physiological law which he discovered. The logarithmic relation, between 
the salt content and the electromotive force, observed by him in the nerve, 
was traced as a property of certain systems composed of well-known 
organic substances (immiscible with water) and aqueous solutions. 
It is very unfortunate indeed that the work of Macdonald has been 
entirety neglected by electro-physiologists, apparently because it contained 
little theoretical discussion of well-known hypotheses; it merely presented 
the results of a large number of careful measurements. 
The majority of physiological workers were not inclined to accept such 
experimental results as a basis for further progress. It seemed more impor¬ 
tant to them to find new arguments for or against any of the existing theories. 
Macdonald’s work was published in 1900 in the most prominent English 
scientific journal ; hardly any quotation of it is found in later research work, 
however. No one of the contemporary physiologists pointed out the great 
importance of the success he had achieved. The attempt to continue the 
line of research inaugurated by Macdonald—which was undertaken by the 
author as described above—was doomed to meet the same disregard. This 
is clearly manifest in a criticism published by Dr. Dorothy Haynes in this 
Journal, a short time ago. 1 
Dr. Haynes begins her criticism by pointing out the importance of the 
statement ‘ that it is the salt content of a cell which determines its electric 
behaviour ’. ‘ Such a view, if substantiated, is of fundamental importance 
for physiology, and no further justification will be needed for a careful review 
of the evidence upon which it is based.’ Referring to the statement of 
Macdonald cited above, it is obvious that the evidence in question was 
brought forward by him 23 years ago ; since the statement of Macdonald 
is based on experiments which admit of no other interpretation it is hardly 
possible to speak of a ‘view’ in this case. No priority in regard to this 
statement should be attributed to the present author, as is done by 
Dr. Haynes, who apparently was not cognizant of the work of Macdonald. 
The aim of the present author was to imitate artificially Macdonald’s 
c phenomenon dominated by the salt content which he describes as not being 
separated from the £ function of the condition of life ’. Some of the numerous 
systems which were found to exhibit an analogy with this phenomenon 
contain salicylic acid. Dr. Haynes tries to prove that in these cases the 
effect of the salt content is really an effect of an acid as the adding of 
a neutral salt is assumed to increase the acidity. This would mean that 
adding 1/10 mol. NaCl (or KC1) should decrease the pH value of a saturated 
1 Vol. xxxvii, p. 96, 1923. 
