X. THE SUMMARY OF PART II. 117 



kind of enzymes, which may be designated "assimilase," and is capable 

 of adsorbing certain protein molecule having a structure somewhat 

 different from that of its own protein constituent, thereby the structure 

 of the protein is changed by the rearrangement in its spatial distri- 

 bution of polar groups to be made identical with that of the proto- 

 plasm, thus the protein being incorporated into the protoplasm. Not 

 only protein molecules but also amino acids are adsorbed onto the pro- 

 toplasm surface to be adapted to the specific arrangement of its polar 

 groups, and subsequently they are fused into the protoplasm ; thus 

 the protein is synthesized and the growth of protoplasm is accom- 

 plished. Protoplasm gi'owth, therefore, occurs in the same way as a 

 crystal growth, and hence cell multiplication can be looked upon as 

 the growth of the protoplasm, a type of crystal. In fact, protoplasm 

 is considered as a kind of liquid crystal, since it is a liquid with a 

 definite structure. 



The assimilase action of protoplasm apparently arises from the 

 polymerization of protein molecules of an equal structure, and the 

 action consists in the faculty to cause the rearrangement of polar 

 groups of the proteins to be fused. Proteins in a separate, single 

 molecular state fail to exhibit the effect which may arise from its spe- 

 cific arrangement of polar groups, whilst if many molecules with an 

 equal arrangement polymerize in a regular way, the effect is consi- 

 dered to become stronger and as a result can exert its influence upon 

 other proteins. This effect appears to a certain extent to be directly 

 proportional to the number of polymerized molecules, and probably 

 resulting from a kind of electrostatic force. 



Virus particles are estimated to be combining with so much water 

 amounts as 10 times the dry weight of the particles. The greater 

 part of the molecules of the water are apparently present in forming 

 a thick layer around the surface of the particle, and the thickness 

 of the layer is calculated to be directly proportional to the particle 

 diameter. 



The force attracting the water molecules onto the surface of a 

 virus particle is possibly identical with the force of the virus to pro- 

 duce its replica in the host cells. Virus particles may show a tendency 

 to act as the stronger virus as the particle increases in size. 



The fact confirmed by Rothen that the thickness of molecules of 

 antibody attracted by the monolayers of the antigenic protein is 

 directly proportional to the number of the piled-up monolayers of the 



