70 



DE. EUTTAN ON THE 



Table 2. — Tlie Influence of the Powders un tlie Protolytic Action of Pipsin-hodrocMoric acid (a) with gluten 



(b) with Fibrin. 



It will be observed that there is in these experiments a much greater difference 

 between the alum and the phosphate powders than in any other series. This may be 

 explained by the solubility of phosphate of aluminium in hydrochloric acid of this strength. 

 The author had no difficulty in dissolving OS gramme in 50 c.c. of 0'2 % hydrochloric 

 acid — more than twice the quantity present in the experiment. 



Knight obtained more marked results by using mixtures similar to the above.' He 

 found that when 2 grammes of gluten were entirely (?) digested by an artificial gastric 

 juice, there remained 09 gramme of the gluten to which a mixture of alum and bicarbonate 

 of sodium had been added. No idea, however, can be gathered from his paper of the 

 quantity of alum powder added, but, judging from the amount used by him in some other 

 experiments, it must have been largely in excess of that used in practice. No such dis- 

 astrous results have followed the use of practical quantities of alum powders. The writer 

 has not yet found a greater retarding effect than from 25 to 30 %, while Dr. Knight's 

 experiments gave nearly 50 %. 



Table 3. — The Influence of the Powders on the Proteolytic Ferment of Pancreatic Digestion. 



The conditions of this experiment are similar to those of Table 2 : 2 c.c. of the fer- 

 ment extract in a 1% solution of sodium carbonate were caused to act for two hours on 

 2 jrrammes of fibrin at 40^ C. 



These results indicate that the alum powder retards the proteolytic action of the pan- 

 creatic ferment to a less degree than it does pepsin. In the latter, the relative digestion 

 was 100 to *73-4 ; in the former, 100 to 83-4. This is doiibtless due to the solubility of 

 the aluminum salts in pepsin-hydrochloric acid and their insolubility in an alkaline 

 medium. Indeed, the proteolytic ferment of the pancreas is but slightly influenced by 

 the powders and not much more by the one than another. The contrast between the effect 



Alum ; its eflfects on the system, etc-, 1880- 



