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physical chemistry of living tissues' and life processes PDF

357 Pages·2013·9.84 MB·English
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PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY OF LIVING TISSUES' AND LIFE PROCESSES R. BEUTNER. November, 1932. PHYSICA·L CHEMISTRY OF LIVING TISSUES AND LIFE PROCESSES As Studied by Artificial Imitation of Their Single Phases BY R. BEUTNER, M.D., PH.D., Professor of Pharmacology.} School of Medicine, Unt"verst"ty of LJout'sville "Life in all its complexity seems to be no more than one of the innumerable .properties of the compounds of carbon." LONDON BAILLI:BRE, TINDALL & COX 8 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, W.C. 2 1933 B. L. No. 64. Imperial Institute of Veterinary Research :i--olmratocy. 6 ,:1.' 0 (5 B E I II _l - t C-I ;~ ,~ r . Library. Register No .. ~ .. !11 Room No. Inward No. ~4':; I) Shelf No. Received. 10-0-190·. .. I Book No. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 1933 PRINTED IN AMERICA DEDICATED IN ADMIRATION AND GRATITUDE TO PROFESSOR JOHN J. ABEL OF JOIINS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY PREFACE The writer is much indebted to numerous friends and colleagues for valuable suggestions, particularly to Dr. H. G. Barbour of Yale University, without whose unceasing encouragement this work would not have been accomplished, to Dr. R. Chambers of New York University, Dr. Peyton Rous and Dr. D. D. van Slyke of the Rocke~ feller Institute, Dr. E. Gellhorn of the University of Oregon and Dr. H. Freundlich and Dr. F. Haber of Berlin for their expert advice; also to Dr. W. F. Hamilton of George Washington University and to Drs. S. I. Kornhauser, S. E. Johnson and G. E. Wakerlin of the University of Louisville; to Dr. Jos. Lomer of Fordh~m Hospital, New York City, and to many others. After this text has become accessible by publication to a larger circle, the writer hopes that his readers will likewise let him know their opinions and criticisms, by writing to his address given below. For a further discussion of the problems in question, informal gather- ings will be arranged yearly, if possible. All those who are inclined to participate will, please, address the author, School of Medicine, Louisville, Ky. . The text of this book can be readily understoo! by the average medical student. A mathematical treatment of theories has been avoided in every case (except in the Appendix). Lectures on these subjects have been delivered not only to medical students at Louisville, but calso, on invitation, at the Marine Biologi- cal Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass.,.at Bellevue Medical College a.nd Washington Square College of New York University, and at the Medical Center of Columbia University, New York. Finally, the writer begs leave to state that this volume contains reports on original investigations which' are described here for the first time. R. BEuTNER. November, 1932. vii CONTENTS Introduction: Life as a Scientific Problem.............................. 1 The First Attempt at Approach: Membranes, Osmosis and Related Forces The Gap between the Living and the Inanimate World; Artificial Struc- tures Produced by Osmotic Forces............ .............. .... .... 11 Brief Outline of the Most Elementary Laws of Physical Chemistry Re- lating to Osmotic Forces, Formation of Ions, etc... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 23 Evidence to Indicate the Presence of Osmotic Pressure in Li'ving Tissue in Some Cases.-In Other Cases: A Flow of Fluids and Solutes is De- scribed to Occur in Living Organisms Independent of, or Opposed to Osmotic Forces; Attempts at Explaining this Flow as a Result of Electrical Forces ......... , ....... , .... , , .... , .. , , .. , . , . . . . . . . . . . .. 35 The Importance of "Oceanic" Salt Mixtures for the Maintenance of Membrane Permeability and of "Life."-The Physicochemical Causes Underlying Permeability Changes as Studied on Emulsion Membranes. -Conclusions Concerning the Origin of Life on the Earth ....... ,... 72 The Formation of Stratified Structures as a Result of Diffusion in a Gel and of Reversible Chemical Precipitation Reactions Occurring Simul- taneously ...................... , .... , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 99 The Second Attempt at Approach: Life Processes Related to Crystallization or Due to Surface Forces Microscopic Structures Which Are Formed in Colloids, Even in Non- living Ones, .. , ... , ............. , ............... , . , ... , ... , ...... ,. 109 An Explanation of the Origin of Such Structures as the Result of Forces Similar to Those Acting in Crystallization.-The Tracing of Crystal- line Units in Substances Which Have Been Produced by Vital Growth. -Surface Forces as a Result of Molecular Orientation; Adsorption in Surface Layers, .. , . , , ... , , .... , .............. , ..... , , . , ......... 119 Cell Respiration as a Chemical Reaction Occurring in Adsorbed Layers. -Vital Movement Due to Surface Forces; Vital Movement Due to Other Molecular Actions ........................ , .............. , ... 149 The Third Attempt at Approach: Electrical Currents in Tissues and Their Relation to Life Processes The Nature of the Single Electric Potential Differences Which Occur in Living Tissue; The Electromotive Effect of Concentration as Demon- strating a Certain Resemblance to Metallic Electrodes of Living and of Artificial Membranes ......................... , ...... , . . . . . . . . . .. 189 ix PREFACE The Physicochemical Laws Which Elucidate This Similarity to Metals, Even Though the Membranes Are Second Class Conductors ......... 215 The Make-up of the Vital Battery System.-The Relation of Electromo- tive Forces in Tissue to Stainability and to Metabolism ............ 227 Stimulation as the Result of an Electric Polarization of the Phasebound- aries in Tissues, in Other Words, as a "Charging of the Vital Battery System."-Traveling Waves of Polarization on Passive Iron Wires and Their Resemblance to the Traveling Wave of Excitation in the Nerve. -Experiments Which Elucidate the Action of a "Pacemaker" as it Occurs in the Heart.-The "Salt Bridge" Experiment.-Conclusions Regarding the Theory of Narcosis .................................. 245 Outlook to Future Possibilities or Development Artificial Parthenogenesis.-Mitogenetie Rays ......................... , 279 Concluding Remarks Possible Application of Physicochemical Methods of Investigation to the Explanation of Cerebral Activity.-Possibilities of Development in a Remote Future ................................................. 292 Appendix New Investigations on Membrane Equilibria ............................. 297 AUTHOR INDEX ......................................•........... , .... 325 SUBJECT INDEX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 331

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