i7S 
Lecithin. 
Am.  Jour  J'lianii. 
April,  1914. 
in  lipoids  than  in  water  and  aqueous  albumin-colloids.  The  action 
of  narcotic  drugs  stands  in  close  relation  with  this  solubility  in 
lipoids.  It  may  also  be  assumed  that  the  functions  of  the  lipoids 
may,  within  certain  limits,  be  modified  by  their  different  chemical 
construction, and  solubility  in  the  body  juices,  as  well  as  by  reciprocal 
solution.  For  it  is  known  that  the  solubility  of  the  best  known 
lipoids,  lecithin  an.d  cholesterin,  may  be  altered  in  other  fluids  by 
mixing  the  two  substances.  Erlandsen  found  that  lecithin,  which 
by  itself  is  insoluble  in  acetone,  became  soluble  to  a  slight  degree  in 
the  presence  of  cholesterin.  It  must  further  be  taken  into  considera- 
tion that  the  lecithin  of  the  organism  includes  a  large  number  of 
similarly  constructed  substances,  which  occur  in  mixtures  in  various 
proportions,  and  on  account  of  the  varying  concentrations  of  salt 
solutions  are  differently  influenced  and  precipitated  or  redissolved. 
The  permeability  for  albumins  and  inorganic  (calcium,  alkali 
and  phosphoric  acid )  salts  of  the  semi-permeable  membranes  formed 
by  the  lipoids,  which  is  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  the  organic  lipoids 
contain  inorganic  salts  of  this  kind,  facilitates  the  perception  of  the 
electrical  processes  which,  in  the  opinion  of  various  observers,  take 
place  in  the  cell.  Thus  Hober  and  Nernst  have  developed  theories 
which  are  intended  to  explain  the  connection  between  galvanic  proc- 
esses in  the  organ  tissues  and  the  stimulation  of  nerve  activity. 
The  physiological  processes  which  take  place  in  the  cells  between 
lecithin  and  narcotic  drugs  are  of  great  pharmacological  interest. 
Harlen  and  von  Bibra  considered  the  narcotic  action  of  ether  and 
chloroform  to  be  due  to  the  liberation  of  fat  by  these  drugs  in  the 
cells  of  the  brain.  Hermann  assumed  that  the  narcotic  drugs  ^at- 
tacked the  lecithins  and  cholesterins  of  the  ganglion  cells.  H. 
Meyer  came  nearer  to  the  truth  when  he  ascertained  that  the  action 
of  a  narcotic  drug-  was  the  more  powerful  the  more  readily  it  dis- 
solved in  lipoids  and  the  less  readily  it  was  soluble  in  water.  This 
was  also  confirmed  by  Overton.  In  his  opinion  the  narcotic  drugs 
pass  into  those  components  of  the  cell  which  contain  cholesterin 
and  lecithin,  and  alter  their  physical  condition  in  such  a  way  as  to 
disturb  their  functions,  or  to  act  injuriously  upon  the  functions  of 
other  components  of  the  cells.  This  alteration  of  function  very 
probably  depends  upon  a  sort  of  anchoring  of  the  narcotic  to  the 
lipoids,  the  bond  being  weakened  by  the  introduction  of  other  lipoids. 
This  at  least  follows  from  Nerking's  experiments.  This  observer 
administered  to  animals  simultaneously  intravenous  injections  of 
