FORMATION OF DEFENSIVE FERMENTS 6l 



that, in this experiment, the albumen has to be pre- 

 viously freed from all nitrogenous and crystalloid 

 admixtures by dialysis or by boiling. 



When the plasma of specially treated animals, 

 which experiment showed to be active, that is, to split 

 up proteins and peptones, was raised to the tempera- 

 ture of 60 C. it became inactive, i.e., its decomposing 

 action could no longer be demonstrated. 



The facts we have enumerated have been repeatedly 

 verified by numerous experiments. In all these 

 experiments on specially prepared plasma or serum 

 control experiments have, of course, been carried out, 

 -on the one hand with peptone solutions alone, on the 

 other hand with the plasma alone. Further, the 

 serum, or plasma, was made inactive each time, 

 for the purpose of avoiding any error, by raising 

 the temperature to 60 C. Finally it was shown, 

 by the use of the dialysation method, that the 

 observations made by means of the so-called optical 

 method were absolutely correct. It mav also be men- 



j * 



tioned that iodized albuminous substances were also 

 injected, and that no splitting action of the blood 

 plasma could be produced in this case. We know, 

 from other experiments, that iodized albuminous sub- 

 stances are decomposed with difficulty or not at all. 

 It seems likely that they are so intensely dis- 

 harmonious with the body that the organism, even 

 though armed with the proper ferments, can find no 



