W. Kuline and R. II. Chittenden — llyosinoses. 147 



tained far more proto and dysmyosinose than the latter, which, on the 

 other hand, was particularly rich in deuteromyosinose. From this it 

 is evident how an albuminous body can in one sense be difficultly 

 digestible, in that its solution takes place slowly and its primary 

 cleavage products form . gradually, and yet the latter be further 

 transformed, under the continued action of the ferment, far more 

 readily and completely. Our conception of digestibility needs there- 

 fore to be broadened, after having for so long embraced simply 

 the time required for solution of the proteid, or, in the case of pep- 

 sin digestion, the hardly attainable extreme of complete conversion 

 into peptone. 



On comparing now the results of the analyses of myosin and the 

 two myosinoses in the following table, 



C 



Myosin 52-79 



Protomyosinose. - _ 52-43 

 Deuteromyosinose .50-79 



there is seen to be only a small ditference in composition between 

 myosin and protomyosinose. The content of cai-bon in the latter is 

 only 0-36 per cent, less than in the former, that of nitrogen 0-06 per 

 cent, greater and oxygen only 0-17 per cent, greater. Between deu- 

 teromyosinose and the undigested proteid, on the other hand, there 

 is a far greater difference in composition, the content of carbon being 

 1-82 per cent, less, while nitrogen is 0-14 per cent, greater and oxy- 

 gen 1-42 per cent, greater. In hydrogen, both myosinoses show a 

 small increase over myosin, while the content of sulphur is practi- 

 cally unaltered. 



That portion of the myosin, which was apparently not further 

 alterable by gastric juice, together with the somewhat large neutral- 

 ization precipitate, we attempted to digest by the action of trypsin. 

 This was only partially successful, for although the trypsin solution 

 consisted of an extract from 20 grams of dry pancreas in 2 litres of 

 0*4 per cent, sodium carbonate, and the proteid matter was warmed 

 with it at 40*^ C. for six days, we were not able to bring more than 

 half of the material into solution. The digestive fluid behaved some- 

 what peculiarly, in that with a certain excess of acetic acid it gave 

 a fine pulverulent white precipitate. After removal of this substance, 

 the solution gave no turbidity whatever with sodium chloride, or 

 with sodium chloride and nitric acid, and only a very slight one with 

 ammonium sulpliate ; hence it contained no myosinoses. Peptone, 

 however, was formed in considerable quantity. 



