[On an official message for Hishio and Umakasu, as written on a wooden tablet excavated at the site of the Imperial Nagaya-o residence].

A large number of wooden tablets (narrow strips of wood on which official messages are written) from the Nara-period were excavated at the site of the Imperial Nagaya-o residence in Heijokyo, during the years 1988 and 1989. On one of these tablets a message is written calling for hishio and umakasu for urgent medical use. As a cited paragraph of the "Geshi Fang" in the "Ishinpo" shows, both hisio and sake were used for the treatment of burns. It can be assumed that hishio and umakasu mentioned on the wooden tablet, were also used for the same treatment at that time. Therefore, this wooden tablet is of precious value as a historical document giving evidence of the acceptance and actual usage of Chinese medicine early in the 8th century.

Biochemical studies of bacterial sporulation. IV. Inorganic pyrophosphatase of vegetative cells and spores of Bacillus megaterium.

Inorganic pyrophosphatase activities extracted from vegetative cells and spores of Bacillus megaterium were compared and found to be similar in behavior on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, in metal and pH requirements for activity, and in response to inhibitors. In the sporulating cell, an additional electrophoretic species of the enzyme was observed which could be partially converted to the principal form by treatment with Mn(++); both forms of the enzyme required Mn(++) for stabilization in solution as well as for activity.