FERMENTATION 237 



Llood in the pancreatic vein has almost no glycolytic 

 power; after the juice ceases to run, the blood has 

 considerable glycolytic power. Here the external is 

 balanced against the internal secretion of the pancreas. 



Oxidative ferments are very widely distributed both 

 in animals and plants. The above experiments show 

 their presence in the blood, pancreas, liver, and lymph. 

 They are present also in the urine. 



The stomach contains a ferment that oxidizes lactose 

 to lactic acid. 1 



Urushi, the milky secretion of Rhus vernicifera, dries 

 in the air to a translucent varnish (Japanese lacquer). 

 It contains urushic acid, which does not dry sponta- 

 neously, and a ferment, the addition of which to 

 urushic acid causes the latter to dry to lacquer. A 

 sample of fresh juice boiled to stop the action of the 

 ferment on urushic acid contained 15.01 per cent 

 oxygen ; lacquer dried in the usual manner contained 

 20.52 per cent oxygen. 



Many oxidations are effected by the tissues without 

 the aid of ferments, so far as is yet known. These be- 

 long properly to metabolism, but in passing, it may be 

 noted that while substances exceedingly resistant to 

 oxidation, for example, proteids, are oxidized in the 

 body, other substances very easily oxidizable may be 

 excreted unchanged ; oxalic acid is one of these. 2 



1 Haramarsten : Maly's Jahresbericht der Thierchemie, 1872, 

 ii, p. 118. (Original in Swedish.) 



2 Pohl : Archiv fur experimented Pathologie und Pharraa- 

 kologie, 1896, xxxvii, p. 413. 



