SPECIFICITY OF DEFENSIVE FERMENTS IO3 



fusible stages (peptones). In the second case, we pre- 

 pare the way for the ferments by producing peptones, 

 which we then allow the ferments to decompose. So 

 we allow serum of pregnancy to act upon a boiled 

 placenta albumen, while in the optical method we 

 use peptone produced from placenta albumen. In 

 the first case, the appearance of diffusible stages of 

 decomposition in the dialysate shows us that the 

 decomposition has begun. In the second case, the 

 change that takes place in the rotation enables us to 

 infer a change in the composition of the added sub- 

 strate, namely, of the peptone mixture. 



Now very often, and probably in the great majority 

 of cases, albumen itself does not pass into the circu- 

 lation, but rather the products of its decomposition. 

 We may easily understand that the optical method 

 Drives us trustworthv results, because it is quite 



r? 



possible that the peptone mixture used may also 

 contain those stages of decomposition which have 

 acted disharmoniously with the plasma. How, then, 

 can we establish a decomposition of albumen ? In 

 those cases, for instance, where the cells of the body 

 give off to the blood plasma peptones which still bear 

 the characters of the cell, we start, in the dialvsing 

 process, at a higher stage of decomposition than was 

 the case in the blood itself. 



Unfortunately, we have no knowledge whatever 



. o 



concerning the nature of the ferments. We realize 



