THE GERMS OF THE SEA.
1
1048 THE GERMS OF THE SEA. ’receive compensation in some form if their present privilege is withdrawn. Into this part of the question, however, it is Bnot necessary for us to enter. We may safely entrust its B settlement to the consideration of the Government. Annotations. THE GERMS OF THE SEA. "Ne quid nimis." AT no particular spot has the sea been found to -be free From organisms, although those isolated and recognised have proved to be harmless, consisting of actively motile ’rods and vibrios, cocci being less numerous. As might be expected, the number of organisms increases immensely as -the shore is approached. Thus about a mile from the shore something like 4000 germs per cubic centimetre have been found, and this influence of the shore extends for four or five miles. Some hundreds of miles from land the number diminishes to 600 and at greater distances to 200 or less. Of course, the fact that algal vegetation is richest near the shore, ,providing a highly nourishing hunting ground for the marine organism, accounts for the myriads usually found there. Samples of sea water taken at some depth below the surface proved to contain only a few bacteria per cubic centimetre. Thus at half a mile below the surface only from eight to 12 bacteria were present. There is little doubt that even should pathogenic organisms gain access to the sea, as must be the case when sewers discharge raw sewage into it, ’their activity must sooner or later be destroyed. The sea is remarkable from a bacteriological point of view -in containing phosphorescent bacteria and it is probable that some of these are disease-producing so far, at ,.any rate, as regards certain aquatic animals. Thus - a bacterium has been successfully cultivated from the body of the luminous talitrus which is both pathogenic and luminous. This bacterium invades the abdominal cavity of this aquatic animal and all its organs with a fatal issue. During the presence of the disease the victim shines with a . green light which is said to be visible nearly a dozen yards -away and which persists for some hours after the demise of the animal. It is not improbable that the luminosity of other marine animals may be due to the invasion of this light- and disease-producing organism. The very beautiful phenomenon of the phosphorescence of the sea is caused by photo- bacteria in part as well as by a variety of low forms of animal life. The eerie light is in no way connected with the element phosphorus as is very commonly supposed. The cause of the phenomenon is respiratory exchange or oxidation, an aerobic function. Sea phosphorescence is never witnessed in perfectly smooth water, while the brilliancy of the light when it is observed is always greatest upon the crests of the waves or where the water is in a ’violent state of agitation, as in the wake of a steamer. It<< occurrence, therefore, is evidence of active oxidation. Could, again, the sea be sterilised phosphorescence would .cease. The presence of highly combustible matter increases the light. A very simple experiment proves this. If the flesh of a fresh haddock or herring be placed in a 3 per cent. salt solution and kept at a low temperature (from 400 to 50° F.) the liquid will rapidly develop phosphorescence which becomes quite brilliant on adding a little glycerine or sugar, or what, in other words, is respirable material. It is curious ’that in marine life disease and death should be associated - ’with luminous phenomena. EFFECTS OF STRYCHNINE ON RABBITS IN WHICH DOUBLE NEPHRECTOMY HAS BEEN PERFORMED. IT has been well established that strychnine is eliminated ’ from the body mainly through the kidneys. DragendorfE has shown that all the strychnine leaves the body unchanged and Kratter succeeded even with such a small medicinal dose as two milligrammes in recovering the entire quantity from the urine. If the subcutaneous administration be accomplished very slowly even more than a fatal dose may be injected without causing any characteristic effect, which has been explained on the assumption that in such a case enough strychnine is eliminated by the kidneys to prevent the accumulation in the blood of an effective dose. It has been presupposed as a matter that is self- evident that in an animal from which the kidneys have been removed subminimum doses will even aggregate within the blood to a poisonous dose simply because the eliminating organ is removed. This supposition has been proved not to be correct by Dr. S. J. Meltzer and Dr. W. Salant, who publish the result of their researches in the Jo.-trnal of Experimeiitil Jct’M, vol. vi., No. 2. The title of their communication is The Effects of Subminimum Doses of Strychnine in Nephrectomised Rabbits." " Their investigations bring out the following points. 1. For a rabbit without its chief eliminating organs-the kidneys-the minimum toxic and fatal doses of strychnine are, nevertheless, not smaller than are those for the normal animals. 2. Even in a rabbit without its kidneys a single cumulative toxic dose of strychnine induces only one attack, or a few attacks, of the characteristic spasm and the animal soon recovers and shows no further effects of the strychnine. Hence a toxic dose apparently remains within the body, causing a con- tinual effect. 3. If proper subminimum doses at proper intervals are employed "nephrectomised" " rabbits can gradually receive thrice the fatal dose of strychnine with- out showing any reaction. Large fatal doses of the poison are apparently accumulated within the body without causing any effect. Dr. Meltzer and Dr. Salant then proceed to suggest various explanations of these facts, but, as they admit, these are only hypotheses which require further study. We consider the most plausible suggestion to be that after the removal of the kidneys the act of elimination is carried on by other organs ; for instance, by the gastro- intestinal canal. The above observations are interesting from several points of view but the most practical result is the following consideration. It has been claimed by clinicians that in chronic diseases of the kidneys certain drugs, such as strychnine, should not be administered since, owing to the lessened power of elimination on the part of the kidneys, serious or even fatal accumulative results might follow. According to the experiments which we have been consider- ing, however, such a theory is incorrect and the animal body apparently possesses a mechanism capable of regulating the cumulative capacities of the blood even in the absence of the kidneys. It would be interesting to know the results of similar investigations with other drugs, such as morphine, for the fear of cumulative effect in renal’ disease would seem to rest at present on theoretical grounds alone. ON THE RELATIVE PREVALENCE OF DIS- SEMINATED SCLEROSIS. I Ax important discussion on the relative prevalence of c1i- seminated sclerosis in the United States based upon very z extensive and exact records collected by leading neurologists is published in the lIerical ft(!I1:g of New York of March 22nd last. In opening the discussion Professor C. L. Dana reported that he had collected the histories of 3000 private patients suffering from various forms of nervous disorders and that
Transcript of THE GERMS OF THE SEA.
1048 THE GERMS OF THE SEA.
’receive compensation in some form if their present privilegeis withdrawn. Into this part of the question, however, it isBnot necessary for us to enter. We may safely entrust its
Bsettlement to the consideration of the Government.
Annotations.
THE GERMS OF THE SEA.
"Ne quid nimis."
AT no particular spot has the sea been found to -be freeFrom organisms, although those isolated and recognisedhave proved to be harmless, consisting of actively motile’rods and vibrios, cocci being less numerous. As might be
expected, the number of organisms increases immensely as-the shore is approached. Thus about a mile from the shore
something like 4000 germs per cubic centimetre have beenfound, and this influence of the shore extends for four orfive miles. Some hundreds of miles from land the numberdiminishes to 600 and at greater distances to 200 or less. Of
course, the fact that algal vegetation is richest near the shore,,providing a highly nourishing hunting ground for the marineorganism, accounts for the myriads usually found there.
Samples of sea water taken at some depth below the surfaceproved to contain only a few bacteria per cubic centimetre.Thus at half a mile below the surface only from eight to 12bacteria were present. There is little doubt that evenshould pathogenic organisms gain access to the sea, as mustbe the case when sewers discharge raw sewage into it,
’their activity must sooner or later be destroyed. The
sea is remarkable from a bacteriological point of view
-in containing phosphorescent bacteria and it is probablethat some of these are disease-producing so far, at
,.any rate, as regards certain aquatic animals. Thus
- a bacterium has been successfully cultivated from the
body of the luminous talitrus which is both pathogenicand luminous. This bacterium invades the abdominal cavityof this aquatic animal and all its organs with a fatal issue.
During the presence of the disease the victim shines with a. green light which is said to be visible nearly a dozen yards-away and which persists for some hours after the demise ofthe animal. It is not improbable that the luminosity of othermarine animals may be due to the invasion of this light- anddisease-producing organism. The very beautiful phenomenonof the phosphorescence of the sea is caused by photo-bacteria in part as well as by a variety of low forms ofanimal life. The eerie light is in no way connectedwith the element phosphorus as is very commonly supposed.The cause of the phenomenon is respiratory exchange oroxidation, an aerobic function. Sea phosphorescence is
never witnessed in perfectly smooth water, while the
brilliancy of the light when it is observed is always greatestupon the crests of the waves or where the water is in a
’violent state of agitation, as in the wake of a steamer. It<<
occurrence, therefore, is evidence of active oxidation.
Could, again, the sea be sterilised phosphorescence would.cease. The presence of highly combustible matter increasesthe light. A very simple experiment proves this. If the
flesh of a fresh haddock or herring be placed in a 3 per cent.salt solution and kept at a low temperature (from 400 to
50° F.) the liquid will rapidly develop phosphorescence whichbecomes quite brilliant on adding a little glycerine or sugar,or what, in other words, is respirable material. It is curious
’that in marine life disease and death should be associated- ’with luminous phenomena.
EFFECTS OF STRYCHNINE ON RABBITS INWHICH DOUBLE NEPHRECTOMY HAS
BEEN PERFORMED.
IT has been well established that strychnine is eliminated’ from the body mainly through the kidneys. DragendorfEhas shown that all the strychnine leaves the body unchangedand Kratter succeeded even with such a small medicinaldose as two milligrammes in recovering the entire quantityfrom the urine. If the subcutaneous administration be
accomplished very slowly even more than a fatal dose maybe injected without causing any characteristic effect, whichhas been explained on the assumption that in such a caseenough strychnine is eliminated by the kidneys to preventthe accumulation in the blood of an effective dose.
It has been presupposed as a matter that is self-evident that in an animal from which the kidneys havebeen removed subminimum doses will even aggregate withinthe blood to a poisonous dose simply because the eliminatingorgan is removed. This supposition has been proved not to becorrect by Dr. S. J. Meltzer and Dr. W. Salant, who publishthe result of their researches in the Jo.-trnal of ExperimeiitilJct’M, vol. vi., No. 2. The title of their communicationis The Effects of Subminimum Doses of Strychnine in
Nephrectomised Rabbits." " Their investigations bring out
the following points. 1. For a rabbit without its chief
eliminating organs-the kidneys-the minimum toxic
and fatal doses of strychnine are, nevertheless, not smallerthan are those for the normal animals. 2. Even in a rabbitwithout its kidneys a single cumulative toxic dose of
strychnine induces only one attack, or a few attacks, of thecharacteristic spasm and the animal soon recovers and
shows no further effects of the strychnine. Hence a toxic
dose apparently remains within the body, causing a con-
tinual effect. 3. If proper subminimum doses at properintervals are employed "nephrectomised"
" rabbits can
gradually receive thrice the fatal dose of strychnine with-out showing any reaction. Large fatal doses of the poisonare apparently accumulated within the body without causingany effect. Dr. Meltzer and Dr. Salant then proceedto suggest various explanations of these facts, but, as
they admit, these are only hypotheses which require furtherstudy. We consider the most plausible suggestion to be
that after the removal of the kidneys the act of eliminationis carried on by other organs ; for instance, by the gastro-intestinal canal. The above observations are interesting fromseveral points of view but the most practical result is thefollowing consideration. It has been claimed by cliniciansthat in chronic diseases of the kidneys certain drugs, such asstrychnine, should not be administered since, owing to thelessened power of elimination on the part of the kidneys,serious or even fatal accumulative results might follow.
According to the experiments which we have been consider-ing, however, such a theory is incorrect and the animal bodyapparently possesses a mechanism capable of regulating thecumulative capacities of the blood even in the absence of thekidneys. It would be interesting to know the results of
similar investigations with other drugs, such as morphine, forthe fear of cumulative effect in renal’ disease would seem torest at present on theoretical grounds alone.
ON THE RELATIVE PREVALENCE OF DIS-SEMINATED SCLEROSIS.
I Ax important discussion on the relative prevalence of c1i-seminated sclerosis in the United States based upon very z
extensive and exact records collected by leading neurologistsis published in the lIerical ft(!I1:g of New York of March 22ndlast. In opening the discussion Professor C. L. Dana reportedthat he had collected the histories of 3000 private patients
suffering from various forms of nervous disorders and that
