FORMATION OF DEFENSIVE FERMENTS 69 



active ferment, retains its initial angle of rotation ; 

 and it is only in very exceptional cases that dialysis 

 shows the presence, in the outer fluid, of substances 

 that give the biuret reaction. It is only after proteins 

 or peptones are added to the plasma, that the activity 

 of the ferments first manifests itself. 



How can we explain a behaviour that is, a priori, so 

 peculiar ? There are already, before the addition of 

 the proteins or peptones, large quantities of albumen 

 in the plasma in the presence of an active ferment. 

 We must always remember, in this connection, that 

 the ferments are directed, in a more or less explicitly 

 specific manner, against certain substrates. A slight 

 alteration in structure and configuration suffices to 

 remove a substrate from the influence of a cnven 



o 



ferment. Just as the ferments themselves are first 

 transformed into their active form by means of a 

 special agent, so, without doubt, the substances in 

 the blood and the cells which are presented to the 

 ferments need special agents to bring them into a 

 condition suitable for attack. 



The substrates, too, are rendered active in a certain 

 sense. The body defends its cells, and the substances 

 contained in them, against disintegration by ferments 

 by giving them a structure and configuration it may 

 be that their physical condition also plays a part- 

 which are out of harmony with the ferments; and 

 from this point of view we can understand whv 



