The San Francisco call., 1906-03-25
New Light Gained
on the Effect of
Oxidation.
Marine Life of Low
Order Is Field of
Research.
Disintegration Pre-
vented by His
Process.


BERKELEY, March 24.-Dr. Jacques
Loeb issued an important scientific bull
letin at the State University this after
noon describing his experiments with the
lower orders of marine life, in which he
sought an explanation of some Of the
mysteries Of the production Of life. The
experiments were concerned with the
problem Of effects of oxidation upon eggs
Of sea-urchins, DR.. Loeb desiring to ascer-
tain whether the withdrawal of oxygen
would not result in changes Of an inter-
esting scientific character, preventing
them from disintegration- The famous
savsnt evidently believes that he has
reached valuable conclusions in the mat
ter. as evidenced by the following ex-
tracts from his published accounts Of the
work.
IN a former paper I have stated that
the process Of artificial membrane forma-
ton viii produce two kinds Of effects in
the egg of the sea-urchin, namely it will
cause the phenomena Of nuciear division
10 begin. and second, IL viii cause the
egg 10 disintegrate within limited mum
ber OF hours. unless il is treated previ-
ously o. subsequently with hypertonic sea
water Cor IN some other way, as we shall
see later. The process of nuclear and
cell division may go on in such eggs until
they reach the six or eight cell stage; as
q rule, however. the eggs only form the
first spindle and then the process of dis
integratiOn begins Since the eggs IN
which no membrane formation has been
produced may live for week OF more II
seems as II the chemical process con-
nected with the nuciear and cell division
might be responsible for the process OF
6islntegrstion-
TO PREVENT DEATH
"I showed ten years ago that the pro-
cess OF nucIear and cell division in the
egg OF the sea-urchin land probably gen
eraIIy) depends upon the presence OF free
oxygen, and stops as soon as the oxygen
IS replaced by hydrogen, or as soon as
the oxidztions are stopped by potassium
cyanide 1t is therefore obvious that the
process underlying the development OF
he egg. especially underlying nuclear
and cell division. are processes OF oxoa-i
tfon- Iszer I have pointed out the pos
sibility thai these cxidative processes are
Identical or connected with the synthesis
OF proroplssn1ic material Into nuelear
compounds Since the process of mem
h-zne formation in the egg Of the sea
rrchin starts these oxiddtiFe processes II
occurred 10 me 10 Try whether IL was not
possible 10 prevent the premature death
OF such eggs By preventing o1idanons
--Cy,e method used to accomplish this
consisted in submitting them TO sea-
water through which a current or ny
drOEcu was carried anu from nA1SA III
this way the air was removed5 the sec
ord v,efbad consisted in stopping oxi-
dstions in the eggs by adding ken 80
the sea water. 1t was found that IN
sucb cases the death OF the eggs with
membrane could, indeed, be prevented
IN another experiment the eggs OF
female were submitted to the process
Of membrane formation and distributed
IN three sets OF TASKS, one In contact
,,-f+t ar a second through which cur
rent OF oxygen was carried ana a
ihF~d through which a current OF
hydrogen was carried Eggs were
taken ont at various intervals va
rying from one 70 ten hours The eggs
that had been exposed TO air or pure
oxygen all began to show the spindle
sfter the proper time and began to dis
Iategrate in from four to six hours |
Those taken after ten hours from the |
hydrogen current appeared normal and |
could be caused TO develop
DEVELOPED BY HYDROGEN.
.'The experiments were repeated a |
number of times with the result men /
toned here, but the monotony of the /
was broken by the addi- /
-ional observation that the eggs which /
had been exposed after the membrane 4
formation 10 a current of hydrogen for
sufficiently long time coalld undergo ,
! perfectly normal development with
out any further treatment with hyper
.Onic sea water
In the experiment thus far mention
d only the osmotic method Of artificial |
y ,srfhenogenesis was used. A part of the
.ggs Of this experiment were submitted
o the process Of artificial membrane
ormation afteri they were taken from
he hypertonic sea water. Those eggs
which had been in the aerated hyper
onic sea water developed in the same
,roportions as mentioned above, while
he eggs that had been IN the hyper
onic sea water deprived Of oxygen did
lot develop, but without exception dis
ltcgrated in the way characteristic for
ggs with artificial membrane forma-
ion.
Since there was a suspicion that
ypertouic sea water deprived of oxy
en- might yet cause artificial par
henogenesis with this difference only,
hat the time Of exposure would have
o be longer, eggs were left in the same
Experiment. 273 and 33S minutes in the
ypertonic sea water without oxygen.
he result was absolutely negative.
The eggs did not develop. They re-
NAMED alive and could be caused to (
leEelop by the addition Of sperm !
The same experiment was repeated {
Nth the same striking result II