180 



within 15 minutes as a network or rather a spongy mass of fibres, 

 in a NaFl or citrate NaCl plasm in which no spontaneous coagulation 

 took place within 24 hours. The same thing was found to be the 

 case with the ascites-tluid, a transudate which did not coagulate 

 spontaneously. This result was obtained with all sorts of acids, also 

 with CO,. The coagula obtained, could be dissolved again in alkalies 

 or acids whilst in these solutions coagulation could be effected again 

 by neutralization of the dissolving ikiid. 



Plasm loliicli luas kept Jiuid, and likeivise a transudate which did 

 not coagulate spontaneously, were, therefore, found to present a great 

 resemblance lüithfibrin-alkaJi-solutions and not with fibrin-acid-solutions. 



Ad 2. The second condition viz. that fibrin-alkali or fibrin-acid 

 solutions must be coagulated by those factors which coagulated 

 fibrinogen-solutions, was also satisfied. What is the characteristic of 

 a fibrinogen-solntion ? That by the action of blood-serum or by 

 organic extracts, as containing "fibrinferment", it coagulates and 

 passes into fibrin. 



Now solutions of pure fibrin in strongly diluted NaOH also had 

 this property. If for instance to a solution of pure fibrin in NaOH 

 0.05 "/„, an equal \'olume of serum was added, a coagulum was 

 formed within a few minutes in the shape of a spongy mass, whilst 

 within 15 minutes a jelly like coagulum seemed to have been 

 formed so that the test-tube could be held upside down, without 

 more than a few drops of fluid running out. This seemingly jelly- 

 like coagulum turned out to be a \'eiy dense fibrous, spongy mass, 

 for when it was shaken well it separated into fluid and a small 

 clump of fibrils. 



A test with the ascites-fluid, which might be looked upon as a 

 natural fibrinogen-solution, revealed that its action on serum was 

 identical with that of the fibrin NaOH-solution ; here too a jelly-like 

 coagulum was formed, which was in fact a fibrous, spongy mass, 

 filled with fluid. Evidently in both cases the fibrous mass which, 

 on the coagulum being shaken, was found to have such a small 

 volume, was yet capable of enclosing all the fluid, so that the 

 coagulum had the appearance of being a homogeneous jelly. Similar 

 coagula were obtained by the addition of serum, in fibrin NaOH- 

 solutions, the fibrin of which was supplied by the blood of horses as 

 well as cows. Nor was the action of the serum at all a specific one, for 

 cow- as well as horse-serum effected coagulation in solutions of cow-fibrin. 



Besides, this appeared already from the fact that cow's as well 

 as horse's serum effected coagulation in a human ascites-fluid as I 

 observed before. 



