FORMATION OF DEFENSIVE FERMENTS 7Q 



cane sugar. It seems as if here also, after the intro- 

 duction of a disharmonious kind of sugar, fer- 

 ments appear which are not exclusively directed 

 against the carbohydrate injected. Further, the 

 ability of the organism to supply ferments seems to 

 have limits, because, after an injection with raffinose, 

 no definite reaction could be traced. Very likely this 

 material is too markedly disharmonious with the cells 

 of the body. 



It is interesting to note that ferments contained in 

 the plasma persist for a long time after the intro- 

 duction of disharmonious substances, whether they 

 be products of the albumen order or of the carbo- 

 hydrates. The splitting activity of the plasma could 

 still be clearly traced in individual cases up to three 

 weeks after the injection. Important, too, is the fact 

 that, after an intravenous injection of cane sugar, 

 invertin could be demonstrated in the blood plasma 

 within a quarter of an hour. When albuminous sub- 

 stances were introduced subcutaneously, then three 

 to four days elapsed before the formation of the 

 ferments attained its full value. After intravenous 

 injections they manifest themselves within twenty- 

 four hours. The fact that there are individual differ- 

 ences is also important. Moreover, the appearance of 

 the defensive ferments is very much delayed after the 

 introduction in large quantities of substances out of 

 harmony with the blood. 



