130 H. J. CORPER AND H. C. SWEANY 



cellulose, etc.,) with nutrient agar and observing the effect of 

 the growths of various organisms upon the substrates, was of 

 necessity crude and gave only gross results. The criterion of 

 enzymatic action was merely the formation of a zone of clearing 

 or change in the media surrounding the colonies. Thus Eijk- 

 man found that the following gelatin liquefying or digesting 

 organisms also cause the solution of casein: B. anthracis, B. 

 pyocyaneus, Staphylococcus pyogenes aureus, B. Metschnikowi, 

 B. cholerae, B. fluorescens, B. prodigiosus, B. indicus, B. ruber, 

 B. subtilis, B. megatherium, and B. mesentericus; while the fol- 

 lowing organisms, not peptonizing gelatin, also failed to dis- 

 solve casein: B. typhosus, B. coli-commu7iis, B. mallei, B. pestis, 

 B. diphtheriae and B. lactis cyanogenes. He concludes, therefore, 

 that the same enzyme probably digests both substances. 



As the hemolytic action of a number of bacteria {B. diphtheriae 

 B. anthracis, B. fluorescens, B. mesentericus, B. prodigiosus and 

 B. indicus) did not vary hand in hand with the gelatin liquefy- 

 ing property, he concludes that the hemolytic and tryptic 

 enzymes are not identical, but suggests that different tryptic 

 enzymes may be present in different bacteria and these might 

 in some cases attack blood or gelatin, more vigorously. Varying 

 grades of diastatic action by pathogenic organisms were observed 

 with starch. B. anthracis and B. cholerae intensely digested it, 

 while B. diphtheriae and B. dysenteriae (Kruse) had only a faint 

 action and B. mallei, B. pyocyaneus and Staphylococcus pyogenes 

 aureus were negative in this respect. Fat splitting power was 

 also found to be present in some organisms and absent in others. 

 None of those forms tested were able to split beeswax. In all 

 tests with inulin, (Eijkman, 1913) keratin and cellulose negative 

 results were obtained. Elastic tissue prepared from calf lung 

 was digested by B. pyocyaneus (culture and bouillon filtrate), — 

 which action was destroyed at 80°C.,^ — B. anthracoides and a 

 bacillus isolated from a case of lung gangrene. It was note- 

 worthy that all the elastic tissue dissolving organisms liquefied 

 gelatin, but the reverse did not hold true. 



Pontes (1911) was unable to demonstrate enzymes, zymases or 

 oxidases in cultures or tuberculins of bovine and human tubercle 



