AmiifrcUh'  i?!*™']    Bacterial  versus  Vegetable  Toxins.  .  127 
Ribbert  established  that  the  bile  present  in  such  tumors  was  not  the 
bile  of  icterus  from  necrotic  liver-tissue  by  demonstrating  that  the 
scirrhous  encapsulating  tissue  was  free  from  bile-stain  and  that  the 
bile  was  confined  to  the  liver-like  cells  of  the  active  tumor.  In  at 
least  one  case,  a  metastasis  in  the  lung  from  the  liver  secreted  bile. 
In  this  connection  it  is  significant  that  the  functionating  glandular 
cells  of  typical  thyroid  structure  have  been  found  in  thyroid  metas- 
tases in  bone-tissue.  Furthermore,  in  myeloma  of  the  bone-marrow 
the  cytoplasm  17  of  the  tumor-cells  contains  the  granules  that  charac- 
terize normal  myelocytes ;  that  is,  the  tumor  to  a  certain  extent 
assumes  the  function  of  the  bone-marrow.  All  considered,  it  is 
perceived  that  functional  activity  of  tumor-cells  is  not  infrequent. 
Germane  to  the  present  contention  is  the  statement  by  Hinds  Howell 18 
in  describing  the  characteristics  of  the  cells  of  the  pineal  tumors  of 
his  three  cases.    He  says : 
"  A  noteworthy  feature  is  the  similarity  of  these  tumor-cells  in 
many  instances  to  those  of  the  normal  pineal  gland." 
The  results  of  this  work  lead  me  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
administration  of  minute  quantities  of  pineal  tisue  from  young 
animals  to  young  animals  stimulates  rapid  growth  of  the  body,  but 
not  beyond  normal  size ;  also,  there  are  less  well-established  indica- 
tions of  precocity  of  mental  and  sexual  development. 
BACTERIAL  VERSUS  VEGETABLE  TOXINS.* 
By  J.  Stanley  White,  Ph.C. 
In  these  days,  when  the  values  of  such  products  as  antidiphtheria 
serum  and  antitetanus  serum  are  recognized  on  all  sides  as  being 
unique  in  their  respective  spheres,  it  is  interesting  to  recall  that  it  was 
as  the  result  of  the  study  of  a  product  obtained  from  a  purely  vege- 
table source  that  these  biological  products  assumed  a  practical  form. 
The  substance  referred  to  is  ricin,  the  toxalbuminoid  principle  found 
in  castor-oil  seeds,  and  a  comparison  of  this  and  allied  substances, 
17  Weber  and  Ledingham :.  Proc.  Roy.  Soc.  Med.  (Path.  Sec),  1909, 
ii,  206. 
18 Howell,  Hinds:  Proc.  Roy.  Soc.  Med.  (Neurolog.  Sec.),  1910,  iii,  65. 
*  Reprinted  from  the  Pharmaceutical  Journal  and  Pharmacist,  Feb.  6, 
1915,  p.  156. 
