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    Early Journal Content On JSTOR, Free To Anyone in The World

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    JSTOR has digitized and made freely available nearly 500,000 scholarly works from over 200 academic journals published between the mid-17th and early 20th centuries. Known as the Early Journal Content, this collection includes research articles, letters, and other writings. JSTOR encourages sharing this content openly and non-commercially to spread knowledge.

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    Early Journal Content On JSTOR, Free To Anyone in The World

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    Vakamalla Subbareddy
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    JSTOR has digitized and made freely available nearly 500,000 scholarly works from over 200 academic journals published between the mid-17th and early 20th centuries. Known as the Early Journal Content, this collection includes research articles, letters, and other writings. JSTOR encourages sharing this content openly and non-commercially to spread knowledge.

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    JSTOR has digitized and made freely available nearly 500,000 scholarly works from over 200 academic journals published between the mid-17th and early 20th centuries. Known as the Early Journal Content, this collection includes research articles, letters, and other writings. JSTOR encourages sharing this content openly and non-commercially to spread knowledge.

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    13 views3 pages

    Early Journal Content On JSTOR, Free To Anyone in The World

    Uploaded by

    Vakamalla Subbareddy
    JSTOR has digitized and made freely available nearly 500,000 scholarly works from over 200 academic journals published between the mid-17th and early 20th centuries. Known as the Early Journal Content, this collection includes research articles, letters, and other writings. JSTOR encourages sharing this content openly and non-commercially to spread knowledge.

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    Early  Journal  Content  on  JSTOR,  Free  to  Anyone  in  the  World  
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    the  world  by  JSTOR.    

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    writings  published  in  more  than  200  of  the  oldest  leading  academic  journals.  The  works  date  from  the  
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    CURRENT LITERATURE
    BOOK REVIEWS
    Chemistry of the higher fungi
    Investigations on the chemistry of fungi began about a century ago, and have
    been prosecuted with various aims. Sometimes the endeavor has been to isolate
    unknown substances, and especially poisonous or medicinal ones; sometimes to
    ascertain the nutritive value of edible species; and sometimes to contribute to the
    general knowledge of this group. Though the separate studies have been numer-
    ous, hardly more than a beginning has yet been made, as shown by the fact that
    out of the immense number of species, the chemistry of only four is known with
    even approximate completeness.
    ZELLNER, who himself has contributed much to the subject, has collated the
    present data in a monograph of some 250 pages.1 He excludes from his considera-
    tion, by the adjective "higher," the bacteria, molds, and yeasts, recognizing that
    this is nothing more than a convenient discrimination. The matter is not arranged
    by species or groups of fungi, but by groups of substances, such as mineral con-
    stituents, fats, alcohols, amino-acids, tannins, coloring matters, toxins, etc. The
    largest sections are those which treat of fats, bases, carbohydrates, and en-
    zymes. To compensate for the disadvantages of this mode of presentation, the
    author furnishes a complete index of the names of species mentioned, which unfor-
    tunately he has separated from the index of substances mentioned. While an
    index is a good thing, two are never better than one.
    In the way of generalizations the author gathers together, at the close of his
    volume, the information in regard to the four species, whose composition has
    been fairly determined. It may be interesting to know that these are Amanita
    muscaria L., Polyporus ofjicinalis Fr., Claviceps purpurea Tul., and Aethalium
    septicum L. He also attempts to distinguish by their chemical characteristics
    the following groups, whose composition is dependent upon the substratum:
    (i) saprophytes (living in humus), (2) coprophytes, (3) wood dwellers, partly
    saprophytic, partly parasitic, (4) plant parasites, (5) animal parasites.
    Regarding the higher fungi as a whole, ZELLNER notes these chemical peculi-
    arities: the cell membrane consists chiefly of chitin, or an allied substance, fungin,
    true cellulose and true wood material never having been found in fungi; they
    likewise contain no starch, but dextrin-like carbohydrates or glycogen are widely
    distributed, though in variable amounts; the fats are mostly rich in free fatty acids,
    associated with bodies of the ergosterin group and mostly also lecithins; basic
    I ZELLNER, J., Chemieder h6herenPilze. 8vo. pp. vi + 257. Leipzig: Wilhelm
    Engelmann. 1907. M 9.
    272
    1908] CURRENT LITERATURE 273

    bodies, allied to trimethylamin, are widely distributed, but no true alkaloid


    has yet been found. The compositionof fungi and animals shows some striking
    resemblances.
    In gathering together the data regarding the chemistry of the higher fungi,
    in citing the literature, and in describing methods of isolation and identification,
    ZELLNER supplements acceptably the related sections of CZAPEK'sBiochzemie der
    Pflanzen and facilitates further studies in this field.-C. R. B.
    "Sleep" movements
    In a monographof some two hundred pages PFEFFER2 describes his recent
    investigationson the so-called " sleep" movementsof leaves. For these researches
    he has planned ingenious methods of securing the self-registrationof the move-
    ments of simple leaves, or the folding of a number of leaflets. In addition to the
    clever arrangementsof levers, he has devised several formsof registeringapparatus,
    and methods for continuous and intermittentillumination,in which the disturbing
    effects of varying temperature are eliminated, and at will a sudden or gradual
    illumination is secured, by electric tungsten or mercury lamps, without sparking
    at the contacts. These methods and apparatus will doubtless prove of very great
    service, not only in the study of "sleep" movements,but also wherever,as in this
    case, optical methods of record are not suitable.
    The recordspublishedin this monograph,giving for the firsttime the autographs
    of leaves subjected to varying conditions of light and temperature,are likely to
    become classic illustrations. They show not only the so-called "sleep" movements,
    but also the independent autonomous movements which often accompany them,
    and the interestingrhythmicmovementsthat persist for some time when the leaves
    are kept in uniform conditions. The work is one which will take its place with
    other monographsof this author as a permanentcontributionto plant physiology.
    The contribution,however, lies rather in the useful apparatus and in the direct
    results recordedthan in any theoretical considerationswhich are deducible.
    The "sleep" movements, whether they are executed by growth or turgor, are
    herein definitely shown to be photonastic or thermonastic reactions, called forth
    by the daily change of illuminationor temperature,or by the co-operationof both
    factors. That being the case it is to be regrettedthat the author does not adopt
    some more suitable term than the misleading Schilabewegungen. When under
    constant conditions the "sleep" movements gradually disappear in 3-5 days
    through after-movementsof diminishing amplitude, there often remain autono-
    mousmovementsof muchshorterrhythm,which arequite independentof the others.
    Many specific peculiaritiesin the responses are described, which cannot be here
    enumerated. Thermonastic responses show similar peculiarities and the photo-
    nastic reactions seem bound up, to a certain extent, with them, since in most
    leaves thermonastic responses may be induced when the photonastic ones have
    2 PFEFFER, W., UntersuchungenUberdie Enstehungder Schlafbewegungender
    Blattorgane. Ablhl.Math.-)hys. KI. Knig. Sachs. Gesells. Wiss.30:259-472. figs.36.
    I907. Separately of B. G. Teubner, Leipzig. A 8.

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