FORMATION OF DEFENSIVE FERMENTS 8 1 



proteins of a definite kind, and in obviously definite 

 quantities, are always circulating in the blood, and 

 the amount of carbohydrates also varies only within 

 narrow limits, the fats behave quite differently. The 

 amount of fats in the plasma varies within a wide 

 range. After a meal rich in fat we find so much fat in 



C5 



the blood plasma that it may be seen with the naked 

 eye ; and, if we let the plasma stand, the fat 

 separates out directly and appears as a layer on 

 the surface of the plasma. A short time after the 

 meal the fat disappears again from the blood. It is 

 transmitted to the different cells of the body, and is 

 , there used up, transformed, or even directly stored 

 as reserve material. It seems that the blood, with 

 every increase in the amount of fat, responds with an 

 increase of lipase. From the point of view we have 

 laid down the excess of fat has to be considered as 

 being out of harmony with the plasma. Only in an 

 animal whose stomach is completely empty do we find 

 no, or very little, capacity for splitting fats. After 

 a meal rich in fat active lipase can be demonstrated 

 in the blood. It can also be shown that during a 

 more or less prolonged hunger period the splitting 

 power of the blood increases. This corresponds with 

 the experience that, during fasting, an active trans- 

 portation of material is going on. In many cases of 

 fasting large quantities of fat could be shown to be 

 present in the blood. If a fat be introduced that is 

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