SECTION 11. 



ANTIFERMENTS AND FERMENTS. 



The discovery of antifennents dates from Hildebrand (1893, p. 32) who found 

 an anti-emulsin in the serum of rabbits subjected to repeated emidsin injections. 

 Fermi and Peruossi (1894) found that when trypsin was injected into guinea-pigs 

 it disappeared within 24 hours, its presence being determined by the action of the 

 animals' blood and organs upon gelatin. The experiments, both in corpore and in 

 vitro, showed that the trypsin was destroyed (see Achahue, 1902). Von Dungern 

 (1898) obtained an antidiastatic ferment by treating animals with the proteolytic 

 ferment contained in certain bacterial cultures. Morgenroth (1899 and 1900), 

 experimenting with goats, obtained anti-rennet ferment through injecting animals 

 with rennet. He next obtained anti-cynarase by injecting cyuarase ferment (from 

 the blossoms of Cynara carduncuhcs), and proved that this and the preceding 

 antiferment were distinct. Briot (1900) working independently to Morgenroth, 

 discovered that he could obtain anti-rennet in the serum of rabbits treated with 

 rennet. Delezenne (cited by Metchnikoff, 1901, p. 115) whilst finding that the 

 normal serum of animals^ exerted scarcely any effect on gelatin, that of animals 

 treated with gelatin did. He injected animals with fluid gelatin, and observed that 

 their serum soon acquired the power of rapidly dissolving gelatin. We may there- 

 fore speak of this as a gelatin ferment. The ferment, or anti-gelatin serum, resembles 

 the precipitins in that it resists heating to 56° C. AVhereas Landsteiner (23. iii. 

 1900) states that the action of anti-try psin is non-specific, being bound up with 

 serum albumin, Glassner (unpublished research, cited by his colleague Rostoski, 

 1902 b., p. 60) came to the opposite conclusion, experimenting with anti-trypsin 

 normally present in the serum of the horse and ox. The actions of these anti- 

 trypsins were most marked against their homologous trypsins. The anti-trypsin 

 is bound up with pseudoglobulin. Achalme (1902, ]>. 744) cites several authors who 

 have observed the presence of anti-trypsin in normal .serums. Metchnikoff (1901, 

 p. 117) cites Roden as having found normal horse serum to retard or prevent rennet 

 action, and states that still others have found normal sera to more or less impede 

 the digestion of albinninoids through trypsin^. ]\Ioll (1902) inununified rabbits 



1 See also S. Korschun, " Ueber Lab und Autilab," Zcitschr. f. plnjsioL Chem. xxxvi. 

 p. 141, who studied the anti-rennet in normal horse serum, and by injecting horse serum 

 into goats obtained anti-anti-rennet. He considers anti-rennet to act on rennet as does 

 antitoxin on toxin. He also found what appears to be a pseudo-anti-renuet. The reader 

 is referred to the original. 



