Acta Medica Okayama volume11 issue2

A sanitary mass-disposal of nightsoil constitutes one of the major public health problems in the majority of Japanese cities and towns. Under the present economic situations in Japan, however, a low construction and operation cost and a simple disposal plant easy to operate are most essential to meet the prevailing needs, not to speak of complete destruction of pathogenic bacterial and parasitic organisms contained in the excreta to be disposed of.

1. The descending fi bers from the areas 8 and 6 aβ reaching the lateral and ventral nuclei of the homolateral thalamus are recognized. They are considered to be the conduction pathways of the adversive movements caused by the stimulations on the areas 8 and 6 aβ. 2. The descending fibers from the areas 5, 7, 19 and 22 reaching the head and the tail of the homolateral caudate nucleus are revealed. These fibers are considered to be the conduction pathways of the adversive movement caused by the stimulation on these areas. Moreover, the descending fibers from the areas 7, 19 and 22 reaching the homolateral superior colliculus are recognized. These fibers are also considered to participate in the adversive movement. 3. The fibers from the lateral and ventral nuclei of the thalamus reaching the homolateral superior colliculus, Cajal's interstitial nucleus and reticular formation of the mesencephalon are observed. These fibers are considered to be the conduction pathways of the adversive movement from the thalamus. 4. The caudate nucleus and the lenticular nucleus are connected closely by the numerous fiber bundles crossing the internal capsule. 5. The fibers from the lenticular nucleus which participate in the adversive movements descend through the lenticular fasciculus, Forel's field, the comb-fibers in the cerebral peduncle, substantia nigra and medial lemniscus, and then reach the stratum lemnisci et profundum of the homolateral superior colliculus, Cajal's interstitial nucleus, Darkschewitsch's nucleus, Westphal-Edinger's nucleus, oculomotor nucleus and trochlear nucleus. 6. The tectobulbar tracts from the superior colliculus joined with the both oculomotors, contralateral trochlear, abducens, facial and accessory nuclei, thus they are considered to take part in the adversive movement. 7. The ascending fibers from the dentate nucleus pass through the homolateral brachium conjunctivum and reach the contralateral trochlear and oculomotor nuclei, superior colliculus and the lateral and ventral nuclei of the contralateral thalamus. These ascending fibers are considered to be the conduction pathways of the adversive movement from the cerebellum.

The author has carried out the investigations from various angles on the relationship between the function of diencephalon and the eye pressure, and has found that all the evidences in the investigations point to a quite important role being played by the diencephalon in regulation of the eye pressure. Today it is a common physio-anatomical knowledge that the functions such as respiration, pulsation, blood pressure, and digestive actions which are essential for the maintenance of life, all possessing autonomy, are performed and regulated by the centers existing in the diencephalon. Now, the eye pressure, having such an important relationship to the visual functions, can not possibly be a lone exception. From these, therefore, it may be concluded that at least an autonomic center of the eye pressure exists in the diencephalon.

Separation of the urinary ester-form bilirubin was attempted, and the results obtained may be summarized as follows: 1. A brown pigment was obtained from jaundiced urine by the following procedures; namely, salting out, methanol extraction, chloroform flocculation, and separation on cellulose column. The pigment has been found to be easily soluble in water, displaying the absorption maximum at 420 - 410 mμ at pH 7.0, and it also gave a positive reaction both to GMELIN's and EHRLICH's diazo reagents within a minute without the addition of alcohol. These characteristics agree well with those of the socalled ester-form bilirubin. 2. On the basis of the results of paper chromatography and paper electrophoresis, the pigment has been determined to contain no amino acid, steroid, nor reducing substance. Moreover, no glucuronic acid could be detected whether examined in vitro or by paper chromatography together with paper electrophoresis, either.

From these experimental results, the author has reached the following conclusion: The choroid possesses abundant blood vessels, and inasmuch as they carry a large amount of blood on account of their large tubular space, they also have such structural formation as to enable their distension or contraction greatly to influence the volume of intraocular contents. Moreover, as the autonomic nerves distributed in the eye are connected with the wall of vessels in a compact network of nerve fibers, the width of the choroidal vessel can be regulated by the autonomic center ; and thus the intraocular pressure seems to be regulated by an increase or a decrease in the amount of intraocular circulating blood. On the other hand, the ciliary body likewise seems to take a part in the adjustment of the eyepressure as the width of vessels, the permeability of blood vessel walls, and the aqueous production are all controlled by the autonomic nerve, and because the contraction of ciliary muscles, as already mentioned, also exerts a great influence on the intraocular pressure. Therefore, the author believes that a regional adjustment of eye pressure is being performed by these mechanisms, working as they are in conjunction with each other, and maintaining a harmonious relation among themselves under the control of the autonomic center.

From the results of various experiments in an attempt to investigate the relationship between the intraocular pressure and the ophthalmic nerve, the author has come to the conclusion that the ophathalmic nerve is one of the afferent pathways transmitting the various impulses caused by the changes in the intraocular pressure to the autonomic eye pressure center, and the impulses created by these stimuli in the eye pressure center are in turn transmitted to the eyeball by way of the autonomic nerves and thus the eye pressure is autonomically regulated by these reflexes.

Recording the motility of the stomach as well as the small intestine by the balloon method in the dogs decerebrated and unanesthetized, we found a factor conditioning the inhibitory effect of the intestinal motility to the stimulation of the perpheral cut-end of cervical vagus nerves. The results may be summarized as follows: (1) The stimulation of the peripheral cut-end of the cervical vagus nerve frequently produces the yarious patterns and degrees of inhibition of the intestinal motility of the stomach as well as of the small intestine. (2) The inhibitory effect still appears after the severing of the vagus nerves at the caudal end of the esophagus, but is obliterated and reversed to the augmentory when the splanchnic nerves are bilaterally severed. (3) The cause of the inhibition is attributable to the strong excitation of the intestinal inhibitory centers brought about by the central stimulating action of the anoxemia resulting from the stimulation of the cervical vagus nerves, and the reversal of the response is due to the peripheral stimulating action of the anoxemia upon the intestinal muscles, its central action being excluded from the action on the intestine by the severing of the splanchnic nerves.

In order to produce vomiting in the dogs decerebrated and unanesthetized, apomorphine or copper sulfate was administered. The behaviors of both the inspiratory and the expiratory muscles were studied through the course of the act of vomiting by the electromyographic technique. The results are summarized as follows: (1) The most significant signs of vomiting seems to be the recurrent vomiting volleys from the vomiting center each of which is produced abruptly and transiently. (2) The peculiarities of the vomitng volley consist in the simultaneous discharges of both the inspiratory and the expiratory muscles, resulting in the so-called retching movement. (3) The vomiting volleys, in their rhythm, seem to arise independent of the respiratory center, but the former are capable of affecting the respiratory centers at any respiratory phase. (4) The acceleration of the breathings observed prior to the retching seems to be due to the invigorated activity of the respiratory centers affected directly by the administration of the vomiting agents without an intermediate step by the vomiting centers. (5) The simultaneous contraction of the diaphragm and the abdominal muscles are merely a component of a peculiar type of the respiratory movements, namely, that of the retching. (6) The glottis muscles are, however, ruled out from the principle described in (2): the closer of the glottis muscles contracts during the retching, while the opener is completely inhibited.