PROTEINS AND PROTEIDOGENOUS MATTER 225 



living or biophoric molecules of certain controlling cells of the 

 organism, and forthwith, from being active and reactive, these 

 become inert — dead — protein. That some similar change takes 

 place in connexion with the death of the tissues in general is 

 indicated by the change in reaction when any cell passes from 

 the living to the dead state. Living matter has a feebly alkaline 

 reaction ; with the onset of death, the reaction becomes acid. 

 Or, otherwise, in passing from the relatively unstable proteido- 

 genous to the dead, relatively stable proteid state, the biophoric 

 molecules either take up alkaline molecules (or ioDs) from the 

 surrounding cell sap, or give up acid ions to the surrounding 

 fluid ; they surely undergo chemical change. 



Now the very constitution of the protein molecules, as re- 

 vealed to us by the researches of Hofmeister and Fischer, explains 

 how this must be. These amino-acid radicles which compose 

 the protein molecule are all built up along the same lines. They 

 have multiple affinities. Possibly I here delve too deeply for 

 some to follow me, but an elementary knowledge of chemistry 

 and of chemical nomenclature is a part of modern culture, and 

 therefore I presume to venture, and the accompanying diagrams 

 may help to explain my meaning. From our knowledge of the 

 constitution of the protein molecule we may regard the biophoric 

 or living molecule as made up of a series of amino-acid radicles 

 joined together in ring form. Fischer's studies have taught us 

 the mode of junction of these radicles ; it is by the acid carboxyl 

 (CO) group of the one radicle to the alkaline amine (NH) group 

 of the other. To this extent the radicles or nuclei are relatively 

 firmly united. The other components of the different amino- 

 acids must then form free swinging or side -chains, and it is 

 according to how these side-chains are built up that we obtain 

 the different nuclei, or amino-acid components. These are 

 capable of replacement and modification according to the ions 

 or compounds attracted from the surrounding medium. They 

 may be regarded as less stable, able to be detached and 

 replaced. 



In discussing what life is, we may therefore lay down in the 

 first place that all vital manifestations are manifestations of chemical 

 change in proteidogenous matter, are, in short, the outcome of 

 arrangement of that matter with the necessary liberation or 

 storing up of energy. To this extent all vital phenomena 



Q 



