BACTEUIAL AUTOLYSIS 553 



were very much alike in tlieir behavior under the various ex- 

 perimental conditions. 



Burgers, Schermann and Schreiber (1911) claim to have 

 observed autolj'sis by Bad. coli, Bad. typhosuvi and the pneu- 

 mococcus after kilhng with chloroform. According to them, 

 however, B. megatherium, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus 

 do not autolyze. jNIcClintock and Clark (1909) satisfied them- 

 selves that the rapid lysis which suspensions of the gonococcus 

 undergo is due to enzymatic activities. Heating at 70°C. for 

 one hour prevented the cellular changes from taking place. 

 Rosenow (1912) maintained that substances capable of causing 

 anaphylaxis are Uberated by the pneumococcus, streptococcus, 

 gonococcus, meningococcus, Bad. coli, Bad. typhosum, and 

 to some extent by the staphylococcus. 



Warden (1913, 1915, and 1917) made a rather extensive study 

 of the autolysis of the gonococcus. In his earlier work he 

 looked in vain for any external factors which might be responsible 

 for the disintegration of the cells, but did observe an "enzyme," 

 trjTDtic in nature, which was always present in autolyzing sus- 

 pensions. In a later paper (1915), however, he concludes that 

 "lysis of gonococci. ... is probably due, not to activities 

 of enzymes, but to other causes, among which water permeability 

 and solution of fatty substances play an important part." 



AUlau-e (1913), NicoUe (1913) and SaUmbeni (1913) studied 

 the process of so-called "autolysis" by determining the "soluble" 

 and "insoluble nitrogen." They claim to have observed in- 

 creases in "soluble nitrogen" during the autolysis of Bad. coli, 

 Bad. typhosum, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas pyocyanea, the 

 gonococcus, meningococcus and pneumococcus. Corper (1916) 

 and Corper and Sweeny (1918) demonstrated that suspensions 

 of the tubercle bacillus in physiological saline solution, with or 

 without the addition of antiseptics, undergo autolysis at 37°C., 

 as evidenced by marked increases in non-coagulable and amino 

 nitrogen. 



Dernby (1917 and 1918) working with yeast, and later with 

 animal tissues, was able to show the presence of various proteo- 

 lytic enzymes having specific hj-drogen ion concentration re- 



THE lOVBHU. or BACTEBIOLOOT, VOL. Til, NO. 6 



