100 
°A 
After 4days. After 21 days. 
koolstof = carbon 
waterstof + zuurstof = hy- 
drogen + oxygen 
stikstof = nitrogen 
fosfor = phosphorus 
katalytisch werkzame 
elementen = 
catalytically active elements, 
I already expressed 
216 
I have noticed that just as in the case 
of carbon, the quantity of hydrogen and 
oxygen present in a young fungous film 
diminishes in course of time and after 21 
days has already fallen to about one-half 
of the ‘original quantity. In the figure 
this is represented graphically. On the 
vertical axis AB is indicated the quantity 
of the elements present in a young fungous 
film obtained under definite circumstances. 
This quantity is, of course, very unequal 
with different elements, large with carbon, 
small with phosphorus. If we assume that 
AP represents the quantity of each of the 
elements concerned in a young fungous film 
(4 days old), CQ, CR, CS ete. represent, 
respectively the quantity of carbon and hy- 
drogen + oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus ete. 
present in the 21 days old fungous film. 
CQ=+'/,AP,CR= +?/, AP,CS=+'/, AP. 
The lines PQ, PR and PS then represent 
the diminution of the quantity of the cor- 
related elements when the fungous material 
gets older. As demonstrated previously *) 
they are in reality not straight but curved. 
The utilization of the intermediate products 
present in the young cells in which process 
carbon dioxide, ammonia, phosphate, sulphate 
ete. are formed, explains the entire pheno- 
menon. It is remarkable that many of the 
excreted products can again serve as nutri- 
ment so that for instance a small quantity 
of phosphorus can participate a few times 
in the metabolism of many cells. 
my opinion some time ago that there 
are also elements that will exhibit this phenomenon in a still higher 
degree than the phosphorus. These then go and resemble catalytically 
active elements (line PX). That the accumulation phenomenon does 
not remain confined to the elemenis carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, 
1) Purposely | have united here the said lines in a graphic representation because 
they are related and descend simultaneously. 
