SPECIFICITY OF DEFENSIVE FERMENTS IC>5 



generally defends itself, by means of ferments, against 

 compounds that are capable of decomposition and 

 that consist of many elements. New, too, is the idea 

 that by means of these ferments we can judge as to 

 the functions of particular organs. Finally, the idea 

 that the animal organism sets free specifically directed 

 ferments, and that, in so doing, it registers the fact 

 that the components of its various kinds of cells have 

 an exclusive structure corresponding to each kind of 

 cell, is also new. 



Objection has been taken to the idea of strictly and 

 specifically directed ferments on the ground, that it 

 is impossible to accept the idea that specific reactions 

 take place, because the so-called " antitrvptic power ' 

 of Henkel-Rosenthal, the " cobra-poison haemolysis ' 

 of Heynemann, and finally the " catalysator 

 influence ' of Weichardt, are not specific. It is for- 

 gotten that the fermentative decomposition represents 

 the primary activity, and that those substances, which 

 are in question in the above-mentioned methods, 

 are produced secondarily by the defensive ferments. 

 That, during the process of decomposition, the 

 original characteristic structure of a compound is soon 

 destroyed, we have repeatedly affirmed. All possible 

 stages of decomposition, of the most different origin, 

 can in many respects act identically. Thus, for 

 instance, it is possible to prove conclusively that the 

 hydrolysis of the dipeptide, d-alanyl-glycin, can be 



