s of papers presented before the regular sectional meetings of the Academy and other matters of general interest to Members, and are published monthly from November to June, inclusive. Current numbers of the Annals and Transactions are sent free to all Members of the Academy desiring them. (3) The Special Publications, established in 1939, are issued at irregular intervals as cloth-bound volumes. The price of each volume will be advertised at

The anatomy and physiology of the light organ in fireflies

The pressure, temperature relations of bacterial luminescence

A basic mechanism in the biological effects of temperature, pressure and narcotics.

t\"-3\"\" HE phenomena of enzyme inhibition * have led many pharmacologists, toxi* cologists, biochemists, physiologists, bacteriologists, and histologists to the belief that most if not all drugs exert their effect by combining with some particular cellular protein, of which enzyme-proteins are specific examples (Clark, 1937; Bernheim, 1942; Green, 1946). The orderly and controlled physiological system which results from the integration of various enzyme catalyzed reactions has been the basis for a rational approach to the synthesis and study of specific metabolic antagonists (Woods, 1940; Fildes, 1940, 1941; Welch, 1945; Roblin, 1946). Although the fundamental mechanism of inhibition of cellular activity may be due to the combination of an inhibitor with a particular enzyme, it is difficult at times to explain the results in vivo on -the basis of studies made in vitro. The narcotics, for example, have been described as relatively non-specific in their action on various enzyme systems; yet studies in vivo indicate that particular functions are highly sensitive to a variety of these agents. Narcosis, therefore, is usually understood to mean a temporary and reversible inhibition of some physiological response of a living system, with relatively little effect upon other processes. Since numerous agents are known to produce a state of narcosis, it appears difficult, if not impossible, to propose a single all-inclusive theory which will account for the observed facts. In some cases chemical reactivity predominates in producing the effect, while in other cases physical properties are the important factors. Since the generally accepted narcotics include a large variety of structural types, such as the hydrocarbons, alcohols, ethers, urethanes, etc., it is evident that their common characteristic of inducing narcosis must depend upon certain physicochemical properties which they have in common. Several of these properties have been considered in previous theories of narcosis, and various reviews and books have elaborated upon them (Overton, 1901; Verworn, 1911; Warburg, 1914; Lillie, 1916; Winterstein, 1926; Meyer, 1927; Henderson, 1930; Bancroft and Richter, 1931; Clark, 1933, 1937; Cone, Forman, and Krantz, 1941; Fisher, 1942; H6ber, 1945). Since the classical types of narcotics (organic non-electrolytes) appear to act in heterogeneous ystems of cells and tissues either by adsorption at phase boundaries or by distribution in the lipoid phases, it is evident that application of studies in vitro to tissues and cells becomes difficult. This difficulty is further emphasized by the information from various studies dealing with cell structure and organization (Freundlich, 1937; Korr, 1939; Claude, 1941; Commoner, 1942; Tyler, 1942; Lazarow, 1943; Stern, 1943; Steinbach and Moog, 1945). It is generally agreed that the bulk of living matter is in the colloidal state, a large fraction being present in the form of dispersions or still more highly organized films, membranes, and fibers. All of these factors may greatly influence not only the direction but also the rate of chemical reaction. A great deal of the available information concerning the state of matter at these interfaces has come from a study of the action of homologous series of chemical compounds, among. which are included many of the typical narcotics. Numerous studies of cell permeability and surface chemistry have indicated the importance of molecular orientation at these interfaces (Moulton, 1939; Adam, 1941; Bradbury and Jordan, 1942; Davson and Danielli, 1943; Rideal, 1945). The fact that molecules at interfaces are regularly oriented implies that certain peculiarities may be evident when chemical reactions take place between reactants in a film and those distributed at interfaces in the bulk phase. It may be expected, therefore, that an analysis of the mechanism of inhibition of a particular cellular process will be greatly influenced by these factors. The orientation of moleculars at interfaces offers art explanation of the observations of both Overton and Traube on the relation of lipoid solubility and surface activity to narcotic potency but does not in itself designate a mechanism of action. However, for several reasons it can be supposed that those factors which determine accumulation or orientation at interfaces are also concerned 'with the actual mechanism of inhibitory action. The present review is concerned primarily, with

E N Harvey

Papers

Review of Bioluminescence