In the present investigation, a complete survey of the whole subject has been undertaken. The occurrence of pepsin is further corroborated, but in no instance has trypsin been found. The author, therefore, considers with Leo that the apparent digestion of raw fibrin in alkaline urine, in Grützner's and other observers' experiments, was due to the presence of sepsis which had not been sufficiently guarded against. Raw fibrin does disintegrate in alkaline urine even in the presence of thymol, owing no doubt to the presence of bacteria in the raw fibrin, but in no instance did any digestion or disintegration take place when boiled fibrin was used. As the direct experiments with urine were negative, a large quantity was evaporated nearly to dryness at 40°, the residue thoroughly extracted, and washed with alcohol. The residue, which would contain any trypsin that might be present, was then dissolved in a small quantity of water and tested with regard to its digestive power, but the solution was found to be entirely inert. When proper precautions are taken to ensure the absence of any putrefactive change, the results are always negative.

Certain inorganic salts-potassium, sodium, and ammonium sulphates, and potassium and sodium phosphates-hinder tryptic digestion in a marked degree. This is especially the case with the potassium phosphates. J. P. L.

Physiological Action of Ethyl Lactate. By P. PELLACANI and G. BERTONI (Chem. Centr., 1887, 1149; from Arch. Ital. Biol., 7, 201-208). The ethyl salt of fermentation lactic acid, when taken by the mouth in concentrated solutions, causes great irritation of the throat and the first parts of the alimentary tract. When subcutaneously injected it causes no local irritation. A 10 to 15 per cent. solution does not coagulate albumin. It is a liquid, and soluble in all proportions in water, alcohol, and ether. Its hypnotic properties are weak, and its physiological action is compared with that of chloral and iodal. When given in doses sufficient to cause deep anesthesia, it causes death by interference with the respiration. W. D. H.

Physiological Action of Trimethylethyloxyammonium and Trimethylvinylammonium Hydroxides. By V. CERVELLO (Chem. Centr., 1887, 1150; from Arch. Ital. Biol., 7, 232–233).—0·01 gram of the hydrochloride of the first base causes in the frog, dilatation of the pupil and increased frequency of respiration; after about two hours the animal returns to its normal condition. To cause complete paralysis, at least 0.05 gram must be given: death then occurs in about three hours. The pulse is but little affected. In a rabbit weighing 850 grams, 0.5 gram caused increased secretion of tears, running from the nose, and enlargement of the pupil. Paralysis, which ensues after large doses, is produced like that caused by curare. Aqueous solutions of trimethylvinylammonium hydroxide (neurine), cause the same symptoms, but its action is more powerful. The antagonism between this base and atropine holds only with regard to the heart and glandular system. Atropine will not prevent death after the administration of lethal doses of neurine. Neurine thus

resembles curare in its physiological action, and muscarin in its antagonism to atropine. W. D. H.

Physiological Action of "Saccharin." By V. ADUCCO and U. Mosso (Chem. Centr., 1887, 1148-1149; from Arch. Ital. Biol., 7, 158-171; and 8, 22-36).-" Saccharin" (Fahlberg) is but little soluble in cold water, but dissolves more easily in hot, and very easily in boiling water. The solution so obtained is strongly acid. On cooling the hot, concentrated aqueous solution, the substance separates in monoclinic (?) needles melting at about 200°. It is more easily soluble in ether, and still more so in alcohol: it dissolves easily in water if its solution be continuously and carefully neutralised, but is reprecipitated on addition of hydrochloric acid. Even in large doses, it is harmless to the animal organism. After its administration, the urine has a well-marked, sweet taste, and decomposes with much more difficulty; it contains unaltered saccharin. It causes no alteration in nutrition or metabolism, with the exception that the chlorides of the urine are increased in amount. Saccharin is not excreted by the saliva nor by the milk. Half an hour after its administration by the mouth, the urine acquires a very sweet taste, which after doses of 5 grams disappears in 24 hours. 0·16 gram of saccharin weakens the alcoholic fermention of dextrose, as well at 30° as at 16°. A mixture of urine with an equal volume of a 0.32 per cent. solution of saccharin does not undergo the ammoniacal fermentation for over seven days, whilst urine mixed with a corresponding amount of salicylic acid ferments in less than that time. Saccharin also prevents putrefaction during pancreatic digestion. A percentage of 0.16 to 0-32 of saccharin hinders but does not prevent gastric digestion. A percentage of 0.0064 has no such effect. Benzoic acid in similar amounts has the same effect; salicylic acid a stronger effect. Saccharin hinders the amylolytic action of saliva, especially in a neutral solution, but not so much as does salicylic acid; benzoic acid, on the other hand, is not so active. As the sweetness of saccharin is 280 times greater than that of cane-sugar, it can be substituted for the latter in common use. The taste is pleasanter on neutralising and diluting. It can also be used to prevent fermentative changes in the stomach, in the urinary bladder, and for disinfection generally.

W. D. H.

Physiological Action of Santonin and its Derivatives. By F. COPPOLA (Chem. Centr., 1887, 1206, 1208-1209, 1301-1302; from Rend. R. Acc. Lincei [4], 3, 513-521, 573-578).-One per cent. solutions of santonin, of photosantonin, and of isophotosantonin in olive oil, at 38°, do not kill the ascarides lumbricoidi of the pig. Whilst, however, the two first-named substances increase the movements of the animal and cause convulsions, with isophotosantonin the reverse is the case. The other santonin-derivatives examined resemble the two first in their action on the worms. It was also found that doses of 1.25 grams of santonin daily administered to the pig did not kill the worms. The action of santonin on worms resembles its action on vertebrate animals. In order to lessen the toxic effects of

the drug on the animal to which it is given it is advisable to use santoninoxime (Cannizzaro, Rend. R. Acc. Lincei, 1885, 703) which is insoluble in water, easily soluble in oils and fats, but not in crganic acids, nor is it acted on by the gastric juice. The increased activity of the worms leads to increased peristaltic action of the intestine, which thus voids them. In the urine, santoninoxime passes out slowly as santonin; it is less poisonous than santonin, but is equally efficacious in its action on the parasites.

Experiments were also performed in order to see whether the photosantonin-derivatives differed in their action from that of santonin, and also to discover if any relation existed between physiological action and the power of solutions of these compounds to rotate the plane of polarised light. Photosantonic acid, C15H22O5, has a narcotic action on frogs, doses of 0.02 to 0.03 gram abolishing first voluntary movement, then the movements of respiration; the heart and reflexes are but little affected: doses of 0.04-006 gram first diminish, and then abolish reflexes, and stop the heart in diastole. In vertebrate animals the action is similar, except that the reflexes are not affected. Photosantonin, CHO1, acts in the same way, but on account of its smaller solubility the effects are not so marked. Santonin, CiH18O3, itself, and sodium santonate cause as their chief symptoms convulsions; it seems then that the action of light is to modify the physiological action of these compounds on the nervous system; the action on the respiratory and circulatory systems is, however, the same. Santonic acid, C15H2004, in doses of 0·03 gram, causes no effect in frogs; 0.04 to 005 gram produces narcosis, abolishes respiratory movements, but does not lessen reflexes. Larger doses affect the reflexes and kill the animal; if the dose is not lethal, the animal experiences clonic convulsions like those produced by santonin, as the narcosis passes off. In a rabbit of 1 kilo. body-weight, doses of 1 to 15 gram applied hypodermically have no effect: 2 to 3 grams caused sleep into 1 hour, and, like santonin, epileptic convulsions. There is no action on the circulation, except with lethal doses, which stop the heart in diastole atropine does not antagonise this action; this acid thus produces the effect of santonin combined with that of the photo-compounds, both narcosis and convulsions. Santonic and isosantonic acids act like photosantonic acid. Isophotosantonin, C17H2O4, is no hypnotic, but easily causes strong convulsions. Isophotosantonic acid, C15H22Os, acts similarly, but is weaker. The derivatives of santonin that cause convulsions do so by their action on the medulla, not on the spinal cord. The photo-derivatives contain, like santonin, a closed naphthalene nucleus, and the differences on their constitution are to be found in the side-chains. There was found to be no connection between physiological action and the direction or amount of rotation of the plane of polarised light. W. D. H.

Physiological Action of Thallin. By G. PISENTI (Chem. Centr., 1887, 1149-1150; from Arch. Ital. Biol., 7, 134—141).—Jaksch (Zeit. Klin. Med., 8) states that thallin is a strong febrifuge, but one which has no influence on the course of the disease. In the present research it was found that small doses (0·025-0.075 gram) lower the

temperature of fever patients directly and considerably, but only for a short time and as Jaksch states, there is no alteration in the course of the malady which causes the high temperature. The salt used was the sulphate. This salt hinders putrefaction, lowers the blood pres sure considerably, and leaves the body by the liver and kidneys. Subcutaneous injection is not dangerous. W. D. H.

Action of Brucine and Strychnine. By T. J. MAYS (J. Physiol., 8, 391-403). It was found that in the frog the physiological effects of poisoning by strychnine and brucine respectively differ as follows:-(1.) Brucine primarily affects the posterior, whilst strychnine affects the anterior extremities. (2.) Convulsions appear very early in strychnine, and not at all or very late in brucine poisoning. (3.) Convulsions invariably develop before death occurs in strychnine poisoning, whilst death often occurs in brucine poisoning without a trace of spasm. (4.) Brucine diminishes sensibility when locally applied, whilst strychnine does not. (5.) The local anesthetic effect of brucine appears to bear a direct relationship to its degree of freedom from strychnine. W. D. H.

Physiological Action of Caffeine. By F. COPPOLA (Chem. Centr., 1887, 1209-1210; from Ann. Chim. Farm., 8, 10—38).— From the result of numerous experiments on both cold- and warmblooded animals the following conclusions are drawn :-Caffeïne does not belong to the same pharmacological group as digitalin, because it acts on the heart and the nerve-centres, whilst digitalin and the glucosides derived from it are characterised by their exclusive action on the heart. Both strengthen the heart's action by stimulation of the muscular tissue of that organ, but they act differently on the frequency of the beat. The chief difference is, however, that caffeïne causes dilatation and digitalin contraction of the blood-vessels. In many cases of cardiac degeneration where digitalis is useless caffeïne does much good.

The dilatation of the vessels produced by caffeïne renders it a valuable drug in cases of cerebral anæmia and consequent headache due to contraction of the cerebral vessels; though whether this drug would be useful in migraine it is impossible at present to say.

W. D. H.

Physiological Action of Cocaïne. By C. SIGHICELLI (Chem. Centr., 1887, 1150; from Arch. Ital. Biol., 7, 128-133).-Cocaïne causes complete paralysis of the muscles of the eyeball, and indeed of all small striped muscles. On dropping about 1 c.c. of a 2 per cent. solution of the hydrochloride into the eye, the above takes place in about 10 minutes. It causes widening of the pupil and paralysis of the iris. It has the same action on the smooth muscles of the intestine. W. D. H.

Chemistry of Vegetable Physiology and Agriculture.

Reducing and Oxidising Properties of Bacteria. By W. HERAEUS (Bied. Centr., 1887, 783-784). The author prepared pure cultivations of the various bacteria (Bacilli and Micrococci) which occur in river water, in spring water and in soil, and also of the mould fungi (Mucor and Aspergillus flavus). Besides ash constituents, the nutrient liquids contained either ammonium carbonate or calcium nitrate or carbamide. There were found (besides those bacteria that would not grow in artificial liquids) two species which reduced nitric acid to nitrous acid and ammonia, and converted carbamide into ammonium carbonate; one species which made use of nitric acid without reducing it to nitrous acid and which changed carbamide into ammonium salts; one species which behaved similarly with nitric acid, but which did not change carbamide into ammonium compounds; one species which gave no indications of action on nitrogenous substances; one species which left nitric acid unaltered but changed carbamide into ammonium salts; and lastly two mould fungi which gave no indications of action on nitrogenous substances. No species of bacteria were found which had an oxidising action; but some micro-organisms were obtained from soil infusion and from putrefying urine which converted the nitrogenous matter of both ammoniacal and urine solutions, and of diluted meat-infusion into nitrous acid.

Further an examination for oxidising properties was made with various known species of bacteria; namely, the hay bacillus, Micrococcus prodigiosus, Finkler's bacteria; also with the pathogenic ones, namely, those of anthrax and typhus, Tetragonus and others. In solutions containing sugar and the ash constituents, almost all of them were devoid of any perceptible growth; whilst in urine diluted with four times its bulk of water, Micrococcus prodigiosus, root-shaped bacteria, the spirillum of cheese, Finkler's bacteria, those of typhus and anthrax and Staphylococcus citreus, succeeded in forming nitrous acid. Hay bacillus, Staphylococcus aureus, and the bacteria of green pus and of pneumonia produced a thick turbidity but no nitrous acid. Brieger's bacteria had a feeble oxidising action, and the experiments with Miller's bacteria gave a negative result. H. H. R.

Spring Sap of the Birch and Hornbeam. By R. HORNBERGER (Bied. Centr., 1887, 821—825).--The sap was drawn from the hornbeam at two spots, the one 0.7 m. the other 41 m. above the ground; from the birch at 05 m. and 3.5 m. above the ground, and the hours of collection were 10 A.M. and 6 P.M. from April 13 to May 4. The sap of both trees contains lævulose with some dextrose, nitrogen and malic acid and salts; the highest percentage of sugar is found in the sap collected at the upper boring, and the total quantity is also greater, moreover the morning sap is always richer in sugar than the evening, and if the upper opening is closed, then the sugar obtained below is in