4 Ernst Schulze [Sept 



decomposition products. After his pupils, working outside our 

 Institute, had taken an active part in the study of protein metabolism 

 in seedlings, and after it had been shown in our laboratory that 

 protein decomposition in seedlings is an enzymic process, Schulze 

 came to the following general conclusions regarding the protein 

 transformations in seedlings: Asparagin is formed in seedHngs at 

 the expense of proteins and arises from the same material in etio- 

 lated young green plants, and in young leaves and shoots; arginin 

 also results in seedlings from direct decomposition of protein. 

 Perhaps the individual amids arise in the leaf-buds in the propor- 

 tions of their production from protein by hydrolysis with acid^ 

 and other agcnts outside the organism, but probably with the differ- 

 ence that, in the leaf-buds, neither aspartic acid nor glutamic acid 

 is produced, the amids of these amino acids, viz., asparagin and 

 glutamin, resulting instead. Amino acids, however, do not occur 

 in plants in such proportions, since they are consumed in the plant 

 metabolism, some more rapidly, it seems, than others. The accu- 

 mulation of asparagin in seedlings is caused by the formation of 

 this amide from other products (amino acids) of the trans formation 

 of protein. One of the best arguments for this conception is the 

 Observation, made by Schulze in his experiments and repeatedly em- 

 phasized in his papers, that in many cases asparagin is produced 

 abundantly even after the processes of protein decompositions in 

 the plant have ceased. 



An admirable outcome of Schulze's investigations is his great 

 compilation on the composition of cultivated plants, where he re- 

 views briefly the methods of research and gives abundant data on 

 the chemical constituents of these plants. 



The later years of Schulze's life were spent in close retirement 

 because of a serious and long standing eye-disease that prevented 

 him from appearing in public. He lived, at the end, only for his 

 science and for his family. His colleagues often wondered how, 

 with his weak eyes, he was able to do any experimental work what- 

 ever. It was pathetic to see with what extreme care and patience. 

 he had to tax himself in order to proceed with his work. 



When Schulze celebrated his seventieth birthday, two years ago, 

 we all hoped that the twilight of his life might be long and happy, 



