446 HEPBURN— BIOCHEMIC.\L STUDIES 



swell in 0.2 percent, hydrochloric acid, to which sufficient trikresol had 

 been added to produce a 0.2 percent, solution of that bactericide. The 

 swollen, gelatinous carmine fibrin was placed in the pitcher liquor; 

 sufficient hydrochloric acid (0.6 percent, solution) and trikresol (2 

 percent, solution) were added to make a concentration of 0.2 percent, 

 of each of these reagents in the resulting solution. The temperature of 

 incubation was that oj the room. The occurrence of digestion was made 

 knowTi by two phenomena— (1) the flocks of carmine fibrin decreased 

 in size and finally dissolved completely; and (2) the carmine was thereby 

 liberated, dissolved, and imparted a red color to the solution. 



In the preliminary series of experiments, the carmine fibrin was 

 swollen in one mass, and a definite volume of the gelatinous reagent was 

 used in each experiment. Three experiments were made in each of which 

 the liquor from a single, stimulated pitcher was used. In the 

 first experiment, the pitcher hquor (1.5 cc.) completely dissolved 0.1 

 cc. of carmine fibrin in 13 hours. In each of the other experiments, 

 4 cc. of pitcher Hquor were permitted to act on 0.5 cc. of carmine fibrin; 

 in one of these experiments, the substrate was partially dissolved m 15 

 hours, and completely dissolved in 24 hours; in the other experiment, 

 the substrate was markedly digested in 48 hours, and completely dissolved 

 in 6 days. In still another experiment, 4.75 cc. of liquor, collected from 

 several stimulated pitchers, completely dissolved 0.25 cc. of carmine 

 fibrin in 26 hours. 



Liquor (1.5 cc.) from a single non-stimulated pitcher completely dis- 

 solved 0.1 cc. of carmine fibrin in 13 hours. The liquor (4.75 cc.) from 

 several non-stimulated pitchers produced marked digestion, but not com- 

 plete solution, of 0.25 cc. of the same substrate in 31 hours. 



In the final series of experiments, the liquor from a separate pitcher 

 was used in each experiment, and the carmine fibrin (0.2 gram) for each 

 experiment was weighed out into a separate tube. 



One set of experiments was conducted on liquor from stimulated 

 pitchers. The carmine fibrin for each experiment was swollen in its tube 

 in the usual manner, then was placed in the pitcher liquor, and hydro- 

 chloric acid and trikresol were added as described above. The time 

 required to dissolve the swollen substrate was: — 



Pitcher A, 3.5 cc. liquor, 48 hours. 

 " B, 2.5 cc. " 72 " 

 » C, 2cc. " 93 " 



" D, 3.5CC. " 111 " 

 " E. Icc. " 133 " 



