110 Chittenden and Cummins—Influence of various Substances 
‘ Mercuric iodide and Mercurie bromide. 
These salts dissolved in sodium chloride in such proportion that the 
ultimate solutions contained like percentages of both salts, gave the 
following results: 
HglIo. 
0 
0°005 per cent. 
0°025 
0°100 
0°200 
HgBro. 
0 
0°005 per cent 
0°025 
0-100 
0°200 
Undigested 
residue. 
0-4707 gram. 
0°4780 
0°5085 
05994 
0°6580 
0°4707 gram. 
0°4400 
0°4840 
05721 
0°6548 
Fibrin 
digested. 
52°93 per cent. 
52:20 
49°15 
40°06 
34°20 
52°93 per cent. 
56°00 
51°60 
42°79 
34°52 
Relative proteo- 
lytic action. 
160°0 
98°6 
92°8 
75°6 
64°6 
100°0 
105°& 
974 
80°8 
65°2 
Aside from a slight acceleration, noticed with 0°005 per cent. of 
bromide, the two salts act very much alike, causing retardation of 
proteolytic action; less pronounced however, than that caused by 
mercuric chloride. 
Mercurie cyanide. 
The action of this salt is somewhat peculiar, causing at first when 
in small quantity, noticeable retardation followed in the presence of 
larger percentages by increased proteolytic action, though still below 
the action of the normal solution of trypsin. 
In a general way, its action on this ferment accords very nearly 
with its action on the amylolytic ferment of saliva and the proteo- 
lytic ferment of the gastric juice. 
Undigested Fibrin Relative proteo- 
Hg(CN) 9. residue. digested. lytic action. 
0 0°2668 gram. 73°32 per cent. 100°0 
0°005 per cent. 0°3192 68°08 92°8 
0:025 0°3209 67:91 92°6 
0:050 0°3244 67°56 9251 
07100 0:3308 66°92 91°2 
0 0°3675 gram. 63°25 per cent. 100°0 
0°3 per cent. 0°4094. 59°06 93°3 
0°5 0°3880 61°20 96°7 
1°5 0°3932 60°68 95°9 
Its ation is to be attributed mainly to the hydrocyanic acid — 
radical, judging from the action of potassium cyanide on the one 
hand and the action of mercury salts on the other. There is, how- 
ever, without doubt a close connection between the action of these 
salts and their power of combining with proteid matter in general. 
