The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-03-17

How Germs Are Fertiiized Discovered
by Physicians - They Experiment
With Sea Urchins and Produced Hy-
brid Marine Life-Puncture Frogs
Eggs In Unique Tests.
Professor Jacques Loeb of the Rookie
Teller institute. speaking before the
Manhattan Medical society in New
York recently described some of his I
recent experiments in artificial repro .
duction by fertilization of specimens /
OF animal life that developed to matur- +
ity. Professor Loeb excited great in
terest by relating that a female frog, /
produced from an artiicially fortified
egg, was found on dissection after ac-
cidental death to be equipped for par
enthood This frog had reached adult
life
The physicians followed closely DIT.
Loeb's description Of his experiments
Professor Garry n. Calkins Of Column
bia university led the discussion which
followed Professor Loeb asserted that
as a result Of his experiments he had
not only learned how TO initiate the eff
feet Of the spermatozoon IN nature but
to learn the nature OF the spermatozoon
itself and its method OF action. He
said
The egg in nature is only able to
develop after the spermatozoon has en-
tered into it The spermatozoon calls
the egg not into life-for il had life
already-but into a new being. The
question before biology has been.
/ How?
previously biologists answered this
/ question in the same way that a few
/ years ago was answered questions CON
/ corning contagious diseases. by by
/ potheses. by guesses. Biologists com
/ pared the egg TO clock and said the
/ spermatozoou wound it. Liebeg put
mis- metaphor into terms OF chemistry
and called the spermatozoon a ferment
. which set up vibrations In the egg.
Initiating the SPsrmatazoon.
The problem OF artificial fertiliza-
ton was to do what the spermatazoon
does by simple physio-chemical means.
Observation Of the natural process
showed visible changes in the egg
after the entrance Of the spermata-
zoon. The entrance was followed by a
halo forming about the egg, called the
fertilization membrane. We found
that this was the important thing in
the process, not any change in the
nucleus. as we had supposed
Experimentation led to the discov-
cry that this same halo. or fertiliza-
ton membrane, followed the applica.
ton of monobasic fatty acids. such as
acetic acid or buteric acid We start
ed with the sea urchin egg. because
that is constant, and we wanted to be
able to repeat our experiments.
I'VE found when we added a mono
basic fatty acid to sea water. in which
to immerse the egg, that in some cases
at low temperatures the egg developed
into larvae and persisted At room
: temperatures the eggs divided. 1t wa:
, plain that the acid alone did not pro
, duce a sufficient effect
= ITO prevent the disintegration ",
, hit upon a second treatment We tool
the egg from the acid sea water anC
, put it into hypertonic sea water-wa
, ter to which sugar or salt had beer
b added. This had the effect OF draw
, ing some Of the water from the egg
about which the fertilization mem
? brane had formed. and a great man!
OF the eggs developed normally. From
this we drew the conclusion that thu
eggs needed double treatment anC
, that the spermataZoon contained thi
double treatment in exactly the RICH
, proportions. All eggs did not form
. the fertilization membrane when sub
1 - ha GrcF cir
\ cumstance often embarrassing to tn
|, experimenter. We then discovers
. that all eggs could be made equal,
;. sensitive by treating them first wit
: barium chloride or stronsium chloride
: Marine Life Hybrid.
: "Our next experiment was the a
: tempt to fertilize the sea urchin eg
v with the sperm OF remote species
J. Ordinarily hybrids do not occur in m'
rine life. This is remarkable, as bio
ogists observed. when various relate
sea creatures spawn IN the same W,
T tiers. We succeeded. however. in Re
L tiIizing sen urchin eggs with starts
n sperm by introducing a certain amour
of alkalinity into the water"
10 Professor Loeb explained that IL
IS eggs OF frogs were started on the roa
to development by merely puncturir
a them. This, he said. convinced hi
that the breaking OF the outside Of Il
Is egg was the important factor, accou
4 plished in nature by chemical action
the spermatzoon. in his earlier expeI
ments by chemical dissolution OF
natural protection. Experiments bot
TO with naturally fortified and artificial
L fortified eggs, he said. showed that Il
first effect OF the formation OF the ha
)y was to increase oxidation six time
y 1 rr-,..- a.-.s - - -. F,r,