Several morphological reports have been published, since the so-called “supramedullary nerve cell (SMC)” or “dorsale Zelle” was first discovered in the dorsal surface of the spinal cord in Cyclostomata by Owsjanikow (1854). However in the functional signification of the SMC, the opinions of authors have been incongruous, namely, Kapper et al. (1939), and Hughes (1957) presumed it to be a sensory nerve cell, while Bennett et al. (1959), Hagiwar aet al. (1959), and others denied this on the basis of their electrophysiological observations. While Ishibashi recently (1962) reported that the SMC was a sort of neurosecretory cells from the positive results of chrome-alum hematoxylin phloxine (CHP) staining preparations. Nakajima et al. (1965) are the first to study the SMC of the puffer by electron microscopy. Since they were unable to detect a correlation between SMC granules and elementary granules in the neurosecretory cells of the hypothalamus, they denied the theory of Ishibashi's, and concurrently reported the relationship between the SMC and the capillaries. We have studied the fine structure of the SMC of Spheroides Niphobles and compared our observations with those of the above-mentioned investigators.

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The previous experiments of Takasaki (1956), Takasaki et al. (1957, 1959b) have been shown that the mechanism of the reflex apnea caused by nicotine or diphenhydramine may be due to “pulmonary respiratory chemoreflex” as described by Dawes G. S. et al. (1954). Additionaly, the reflex systemic hypotension of veratrum alkaloids (Dawes, 1947, Aviado et al., 1951, Rose et al., 1957) is produced by a reflex from the lungs; it was called “pulmonary depressor chemoreflex” (Dawes et al., 1954). This was confirmed with nicotine by Takasaki (1962) . The localization of receptors responsible for this reflex may be in the lung andthis afferent path ascends in the vagi. On the other hand, it has been shown that the reflex circulatory depressor responses and the impulses from heart receptors were intercepted by intrapericardial administration of procaine or local anesthetics (Kurotubo, 1942, Hukuda, 1951, Kido, 1953). In the former experiment (Takasaki et al., 1959b), it was confirmed that the receptor in the heart is not responsible to the respiratory reflex caused by nicotine . It was also reported that the reflex apnea caused by nicotine was blocked by intravenous injection of tetraethylammonium bromide and hexamethonium bromide but not by atropine (Nakano et al., 1957, Takasaki et al., 1959a). In this report, it was done attempting that the separation of the receptors in the heart and lungs using several blocking agents administered intrapericardially and the absorption of the drugs into the systemic circulation was investigated.

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In spite of the important functions of the skin as a protective organ, the keratinization process has received comparatively little attention. Keratinization isthe transformation of cytoplasmic protein into keratin fibers, accompanied by complete disintegration of the keratinized cell. The consistent chemical difference between the composition of keratin and the cell protein, is the higher cystine content of keratin. It is believed that the -SH group is oxidized to form the S-S group and the cysteine residue forms a cystine residue. The present investigation was undertaken to study the utilization of SH-containing amino acid in the epidermis, using the Warburg technics.

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