An introduction to the study of secretion / by Swale Vincent.

  • Vincent, Swale, 1868-1934.
Date:
1924
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: An introduction to the study of secretion / by Swale Vincent. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    must be at least three different values for surface tension, viz. (1) Cell-lymph interface, on the outer face, through which substances enter the cell from the blood. (2) Cell- cell interface where the cell-wall is in contact with none of the other cells of the gland. (3) Cell-lumen interface, through which the water and secreted substances pass out. Macallum found that during activity there was the densest conden- sation of potassium at (3) the cell-lumen interface, less at the cell-cell interface and least at (1) the cell-lymph inter- face. According to the Gibbs-Thompson law, Macallum interprets these results as meaning that during rest there is no marked difference of surface tension at the gland inter- faces, while during activity a high tension develops at the surface between cell and ]ymph, a low tension between cell and lumen, and that the cell-cell interface is intermediate in this respect between the other two. Macallum records the interesting observation that the intestinal cells, engaged in absorption, leave the accumulation of potassium salts at the end of the cell opposite to the lumen. Thus there may be no fundamental difference between absorption and secretion. The two functions would be expressed as due to the capacity which the cells have of maintaining differences of surface tension on their two active cell surfaces. It seems very probable that the observations of Macallum may help to explain the passages of substances from the cell-body to the lumen, and so the changes in surface tension may assist the processes of osmosis and diffusion. Macallum believes that in the attempts to “ explain ” the phenomena of living things one aspect of molecular physics (the Arrhenius theory of dissociation and van t’ Hoff’s gas theory of solutions) has been unduly emphasized, while others have been neglected. One of these is surface tension. The others are the intrinsic pressure of liquids, viscosity, and the thermodynamic relations of solutions (Macallum,90 Bayliss 13).* * The work of Macallum has not escaped criticism, but there can be no doubt that he has done a useful service by calling special attention to a possible factor in vital processes which had been neglected by previous workers.
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