18 PHYSIOLOGY OF BACTERIA 



increase in temperature, we should expect a much more 

 rapid deterioration of the enzyme. This is actually the 

 case. And it has also been found that endogenous 

 catabolism increases in fever, when the body tempera- 

 ture is raised without any increase in mechanical work 

 (Bayliss p. 272). 



If it can be shown that endogenous catabolism has a 

 very high temperature coefficient, the above theory 

 would be well substantiated. Rubner's few data give 

 little hope that this may be the case. However, the 

 results of a more exhaustive study must be waited for 

 before conclusions can be drawn. 



A decided reduction of the nitrogen content of starving Asper- 

 gillus mycelium has been observed by Terroine, Wurmser and 

 Montane. In 5 days, it dropped from the normal 6% N of the 

 mycelium solids to about 2.6% in the presence of glucose, and to 

 2.3-2.8% in its absence. 



(d) AUTO-OXIDATION OF THE CELL 



It seems most probable that oxygen will play a con- 

 siderable role in the normal breakdown of living matter. 

 Most cells have the ability to use oxygen for the produc- 

 tion of energy, and it is likely that starving cells will 

 apply oxidation to the less essential cell constituents 

 in order to obtain energy. Oxidation seems a simple 

 way of using waste products of endogenous catabolism 

 to greatest advantage. 



It will be shown later that the life mechanism is an 

 intricate combination of oxidation and reduction proc- 

 esses. Growth is essentially a reduction process, energy 

 formation is primarily an oxidation process, though the 

 oxygen used for oxidation need not be molecular oxygen. 

 Part of the energy obtained by direct or indirect oxida- 



