37 



zyme in the cerebro-spinal fluid of dogs and calves, and Vitali 48 

 reported oxydase in pus, which he obtained by triturating the pus 

 with glass, and then extracting with water, dilute acetic acid, or 

 with equal parts of glycerin and water. It imparted a blue color 

 to tincture of guaiac. This action was destroyed by hydrocyanic 

 acid, chloroform, hydroquinone, pyrogallol, and hydroxylamine, 

 but not by phenol, thymol or mercuric chloride. 



Gersard 49 found in the ink sac of the cuttle-fish laccase, tyros- 

 inase and an oxidizing diastase which is more resistant to heat 

 that laccase. 



Kastle and Loevenhart 50 while studying the action of oxidiz- 

 ing enzymes have established the fact that the organic peroxides 

 like benzol, phthalyl and succinyl peroxides will color tincture of 

 guaiac blue. 



The same authors have very thoroughly studied the poison- 

 ous action of a variety of substances upon enzymes, and also the 

 effect of the same substance upon organic peroxides, and find 

 that those substances which destroyed the power of enzymes 

 to color guaiac blue also prevented the coloration by organic 

 peroxides. 



They made many experiments with the juice from the potato 

 which colored guaiac blue, and oxidized phenolphthalin, but the 

 enzyme could not be precipitated by absolute alcohol as most en- 

 zymes. They arrive at the following conclusions: 



"i. That oxygen is absolutely essential to the production of 

 the guaiacum-bluing ferment of the potato. 



"2. That this so-called oxidizing ferment is in all probability 

 not a true ferment, but an organic peroxide. 



"3. That the oxidation phenomena occurring in the plant, 

 and probably in the animal organism also, can be satisfactorily 

 explained upon the supposition that the readily autoxidizable 

 substance which they contain is oxidized to the peroxide condi- 

 tion by molecular oxygen, and that the peroxides thus formed 

 in turn give up part of their oxygen to other less oxidizable sub- 

 stances present in the cell. In other words, that the process of 

 rendering oxygen active, by the living cell, is probably brought 



4S L'Orosi, 24, 1901, p. 263, from Jour. Chem. 800.4. ii, 672. 

 4J Compt. rend. 136, 1903, p. 631. 

 60 Am. Chem. Jour. 26, 1901, p. 539. 



