Chittenden and Smith — Diastatic Action of Saliva. 345 



filtered saliva were wanned at 40° C. for 4 hours, then examined with 

 the f olio win o- results : 



Relation of dilutioyi to diastatic action. 



It is a fact well understood that the chemical action of a ferment 

 is out of all proportion to the amount of ferment present; indeed, a 

 given solution ofa ferment can be diluted again and again without 

 any marked difference in its chemical activity, or at least none at all 

 proportionate to the degree of rlilution. It is only when the dilution 

 has been carried to the extreme limit that the relative power of the 

 mixture can be taken as a measure of the amount of ferment present. 



The following experiments illustrate the foregoing statement. 

 Each digestive mixture was 100 c.c. in volume, and was warmed at 

 40° C. for 30 minutes. The only variations in the different mixtures 

 consisted in the amount of saliva and starch. 



starch converted 

 into sugar. 



34-87 per cent. 



32-26 



29.67 



26-14 



23-48 



16-92 



7-23 



3-66 



32.87 per cent. 

 30.18 



h. with 2 per cent, starch and 30 minutes at 40° C. 

 4 c.c. saliva, 0-1006 gram. 0-4088 gram. 18-40 per cent. 



2 0-0408 0-1704 7-67 



1 trace 



