Summarr. Stoncfisb venom bas been fractionated on carboxymetbyl cellulose and Scphadex columns; of the fractions ol)tained only one was toxic to rats. The active fraction contained a relatively high proportion of aromatic amino acids. Whole venom was examined for enzyme activity and enzyme inhibition; the only significant aetivity found was tbat of hyaluronidase. The venom also eaused a marked increase in eapillary permeability. Ultracentrifuge measurements suggest that tbe toxie material has a molecular weigbt of tbe order of 150,000. INTRODUGTION.The venom apparatus of stonefish (Synuneeja sp.) has been described by Duhig and Jones (1928) and Endean (1961). A number of cases of poisoning both fatal and non-fatal have been described (Smith, 1951(Smith, , 1957Wiener, 1958;Phelps, 1960).The Hrst effect of a stonefish sting is intense pain which may persist for several hours or even days. This is followed by shock, liyxiotension and occasionally death. The pharmacology of the venom has been examined (Wiener, 1959; Saunders, 1959; Austin, Gairucross and McGallum, 1961), and these investigations have shown that the venom has a direct paralysing effect on skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle. This myotoxic action explains all the effects of the stonefish venom with the exception of the excruciating pain.Saunders and Tokes (1961) have studied the heat stability and solubility of the toxic fraction of S. horrlda which appears to be a globulin. In addition, they have separated this fraction from a number of other protein components of the venom by electrophoresis on starch gel.This report describes the effects of the venom on a number of enzvmo systems and some attempts to fractionate the ven(jm by means of column chromatography; some chemical information is also reported.

Under electron impact, Schiff bases give a stable molecular ion which undergoes simple fission at the ring-nitrogen and ring-carbon bonds. Ortho substitution leads to ions derived from five-membered heterocycles. Derivatives of o-methoxy-benzaldehyde exhibit a two-hydrogen transfer with fission of the azomethine double bond to give the amine radical-ion.

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Lead tetraacetate oxidation of phenanthrene-4,5-dicarboxylic acid in acetonitrile with pyridine affords 5-hydroxyphenanthrene-4-carboxylic acid as its lactone , which can be methylated as the sodium salt, giving 5-methoxyphenanthrene-4-carboxylic acid, albeit in poor yield. New spectroscopic evidence (particularly 13C n.m.r.) confirms that 5-formylphenanthrene-4-carboxylic acid, which is an intermediate in the synthesis, exists as the lactol , 4-hydroxyphenanthro[4,5-cdeloxepin-G(4H)-one.