BIOCHEMISTRY OF THE SEXUAL ORGANS 275 



has made it possible to obtain part of the albumen fraction in a 

 crystallised form. In this way Osborne and Campbell 1 have 

 isolated two different albumens, the crystallisable " ovalbumen " 

 and the non-crystallisable " conalbumen." Possibly even these 

 two substances are mixtures of albumens, for Bondzinski and 

 Zoja 2 claim to have isolated from the crystallisable ovalbumen 

 several albumens by means of fractionate crystallisation. 

 Crystalline egg albumen contains 0*13 per cent, phosphorus, 3 and 

 is therefore another source of phosphorus in organic combination. 



The white of the eggs of some Insessores has the peculiar 

 property of forming a transparent fluorescent jelly when it is 

 coagulated by heat. 4 The name " Tata-eggwhite," has been 

 given to this substance. This phenomenon is probably due to the 

 presence of a relatively large amount of basic salts in the white of 

 the egg, since the white of a hen's egg will also coagulate to a 

 transparent jelly if the egg has been kept for a few days in 10 

 per cent, caustic potash. 



Further insight into the composition of some of the proteins 

 of the egg has been gained by means of the methods devised 

 within recent years by E. Fischer and by Kossel, for the study of 

 the constitution of the protein substances. By boiling with 

 hydrochloric acid the proteins are split into the constituent 

 amino acids and diamino acids, which are then determined as 

 nearly quantitatively as possible. 5 



In the results given in tabular form on p. 276, the figures 

 represent percentages, those under " total " indicating the per- 

 centage recovered in the form of amino acids or diamino acids. 

 The absence of any one constituent is indicated by 0, the presence 

 without quantitative estimation by + , while indicates that 



1 Osborne and Campbell, Journ. Americ. Chem. Soc., vol. xxii., 1900. 



2 Bondzinski and Zoja, " fiber die fraktionierte Krystallisation des 

 Eieralbumins," Zeitschrift f. phys. Chemie, vol. xix., 1894. 



3 Willcock and Hardy, " Preliminary Note upon the Presence of Phosphorus 

 in Crystalline Egg Albumin," Proc. Cambridge Philosophical Soc., 1907. 



4 Tarchanoff, " Uberdie Verschiedenheiten des Eiereiweisses beibefiedert 

 geborenen (Nestfluchten) und bei nakt geborenen (Nesthocker) Vogeln," 

 Pfliiger's Archiv, vol. xxxi., 1883. Tarchanoff, " Uber Hiihnereier mit 

 durchsichtigem Eiweiss," Pjluger's Archiv, vol. xxxix. , 1883. 



5 For fuller reference see Plimmer, The Chemical Constitution of the 

 Proteins, London, 1908, in the series of Monographs on Biochemistry ; and 

 Abderhalden, Lehrbuch der Physiologischen Chemie, 2 Auflage, 1909. 



