FORMATION OF DEFENSIVE FERMENTS 83 



introduce into an animal a large amount of white of 

 egg, there is no doubt that unaltered protein passes 

 into the circulation. It is also possible that peptones 

 are absorbed, which still have the specific structure 

 of the white of egg. This transfer may be ascer- 

 tained by the so-called biological reactions, precipitin 

 reaction, &c., but chiefly and most exactly by demon- 

 stration of the existence of peptolytic ferments in the 

 circulation. If, after a certain interval, white of egg 

 is once more introduced by either parenteral or 

 enteral means in the latter case the supply must be 

 very copious the state of shock is obtained. 10 



Seeing that harmonious fats, as we have already 

 mentioned, also produce in the circulation an in- 

 creased power of splitting fats, it is rather difficult to 

 determine whether disharmonious fatty products give 

 rise to a definite specific activity. Further experi- 

 ments will be needed to determine this point. 



Finally, we have also made injections of nucleo- 

 proteids, nucleins, and nucleic acids, introducing 

 them into the organism in such a way as to prevent 

 them passing through the intestine. We found that, 

 after introduction of these bodies, ferments appear in 

 the blood plasma in increased quantity, and quickly 

 reduce these substances (see also Lit. 21). Moreover, 

 it could be shown that it was possible, by means of 



10 Enteral sensitization and subsequent enteral shock have 

 been successfully accomplished by us on two occasions only. 



