572 WILLIAM S. STURGES AND LEO F. RETTGER 



was observed in the pneumococcus experiments (chart 11), 

 there appears to be some evidence of deamidization. No proof 

 of such a process could be established, however, by further study. 

 There is the possibility, of course, that such a deamidizing agent 

 may have been lost from the suspension during the long and 

 continued incubation. 



Amino nitrogen curve le shows an apparent discrepancy. 

 As compared with la and lb, and with the biuret curve for this 

 same suspension, the two and the five day points should be 

 practically on the same level. 



The conductivity readings for suspensions le show very sUght 

 changes. 



GENERAL DTSCTTSSION 



The rapid and profound autolysis of the liquefying bacteria, 

 particularly Erythrobacillus prodigiosus, which could be readily 

 demonstrated by the methods employed in this investigation, 

 is to be expected, but that such well-known non-liquefying or- 

 ganisms as Bad. coli, the gonococcus, meningococcus and pneu- 

 mococcus, should undergo a similar process, though in a much 

 lesser degree, evoked considerable surprise in the authors. In 

 order to satisfy themselves as to the ability of the pathogenic 

 cocci to attack gelatin under the most favorable conditions of 

 environment and temperature, several fruitless attempts were 

 made to induce gelatin liquefaction in enriched media. 



The enzymes invoived in the autolysis of the above-mentioned 

 non-Uquefying organisms cannot but have a specific or at least a 

 limited sphere of action. According to Rosenow (1912) the 

 pneumococcus is able to attack the proteins of ascitic fluid, 

 blood serum and meat extract, but we have been unable to 

 demonstrate any proteolysis of albumin, casein or gelatin by 

 the pneumococcus, with the use of the more delicate and specific 

 methods employed in tliis work. 



It has been assumed throughout the investigation that en- 

 zymes, when present, would assert themselves in a neutral or 

 weakly alkaline medium. These experiments have as a rule 

 been conducted, therefore, in hydrogen ion concentrations rang- 



