Abstract
What substances enter cells and upon what conditions the entrance of various substances into cells and the permeability of organized animal membranes generally depends, is as yet only very imperfectly understood. The following experiments may not be without interest in this connection.
In studying the toxicity of stains upon star-fish eggs, we find thionin, Bismarck brown, methylene blue and neutral red all to be very poisonous, if the solutions are exposed to light. Among these, neutral red is perhaps less poisonous than the other stains. Solutions of eosin are very much less toxic than the other substances. Thionin, Bismarck brown, methylene blue and neutral red easily penetrate into ova and stain them in a characteristic way. Eosin does not stain living cells, but only enters in combination with the dead protoplasm.
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