Abstract
LONDON. Royal Society, November 22.—Sir J. J. Thomson, president, in the chair.—C. H. Browning and R. Sulbransen: Bactericidal properties conferred on the blood by intravenous injections of diaminoacridine sulphate. Whereas antiseptic compounds are in general greatly reduced in their bactericidal activity by the presence of serum, it has been found that salts of 3:6-diaminoacridine, both unsubstituted and also various derivatives with methyl groups substituted in the amino-side-chains, or in the benzol-rings, or in both situations, are enhanced in their lethal action on bacteria by the presence of serum; this is also the case with the salt of 3:6-diamino-io-methylacridinium. The sulphate of 3:6-diaminoacridine has been found specially suitable for intravenous injection on account of its low toxicity. By means of an intravenous injection of diaminoacridine sulphate in a dose which had no harmful effect on the treated animal (rabbit), it has been possible to confer antiseptic properties on the blood so that the serum from a specimen of blood withdrawn as late as from two to two and a half hours after the treatment failed to yield a culture when inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus or B. coli.—W. D. Lang: The Pelmatoporinae: an essay on the evolution of a group of Cretaceous Polyzoa. The evolution of this sub-family is considered in detail. In order to present the facts intelligibly, they are marshalled according to the following theoretical considerations:-The species lie along diverging lineages; towards the bases or proximal ends of these are forms (radicals) with less calcareous skeletal matter and less elaboration of structure, and these forms appeared earlier in geological time; towards their higher or distal ends are forms with more skeletal matter and more elaborate structure, appearing later in geological time. The evolutionary tendency was to deposit the increasing superfluity of calcium carbonate where it least interfered with the organism's bionomics, if possible in such position and shape as might even be useful to the organism. Sooner or later the race perished through being unable to cope with its constitutional and increasing habit of excessive secretion of calcium carbonate.
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Societies and Academies . Nature 100, 257–260 (1917). https://doi.org/10.1038/100257a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/100257a0