.\ITU<-.\T1MN> OK RESULTS OF 



M6 



iinpleinc! ut ojHT.it ions that are 



to their . ..-, are m* 



my ami quality in a 

 internal iiinl external conditions. Tin- natu 



i I products of enzyra lep - - 

 tin- con.-titution and coinpo-ition of the phy-iio . henii 

 "ic. -banisui of which tli. pin 



\\ li< tln-r or ii rea. lions a i 



i-f pri'-fM.-tin^ d modified or a new 



; i* formal w!, - an essential part 



if tin- particular phaw of the .t known, 



I'ut T the other occurs is apparently without 



' "II. It ; It .-ome l if the 



low i : -i*. rach as the y. a-t plant, have the prop- 



thc rhu: vmea pro- 



! in rela' -'udies 



df the animal organism show that the -am.- phenomenon 

 <H,ur- in iH.th tiues ami blood ; and our knowledge 

 proceaws o in the cataholism and ana- 



Mi of complex substances-, such as starch, is fully in 

 Miji|irt of such a conception. In other words, as each 

 pment is readied the alterations which 

 physic..-, lieinii -a! iiierhaiii-in absolutely 

 automatically predetermine the diameters of the dbtOgtt 

 "f tli' -tep, and so on to the end. I 



it follows that the peculiarities of any given physico- 

 chemical inivhunism pri-detenniiie the characters of the 

 phenomena which ensue under . vlitinns. 



An illustration of the probahle modiu operand* of 

 Midi a mechanism is found in the phenomena of the 

 and analysis of starch: During the production 

 irch through t \ of the chloroplast T leuco- 



plast we . ihat then' are instituted a jiredet.-r- 



niined. orderly. indci>endeiit and interdc|>ciident series 

 e first of which is manifested in an intcr- 

 water and carbon dioxide through the 

 ne in the form of an oxidate to form 

 formaldehyde. I>urin_' this process there is formed an- 

 other which tentatively may be designated an 

 aldchydase, that reacts with formaldehyde and by poly- 

 i and condensation of six molecules gives rise 

 to a MIM: . such as dextrose. At the same time 

 pears in the form of maltase, which. 

 "Be causes the formation of mal- 

 tose, during which reaction another enzyme, a dex- 

 trine -hich reacts with the maltose to 

 yield dextrin on with this reaction, another 

 ie which may be designated an amylase appears, 

 whic "'.triii. forms soluble starch. 

 I'urr them arises another enzyme, a coajru- 

 lase, which converts the starch from the soluble to the 

 iiiMiluble form or ordinary stJirdi. At this sta^' 1 ' th- 



have reached th<>ir eml bcca 



state il (i|iiililiriuni has In-come estab- 



i'lirpose of the processes being 



attaine<i. that is, a form of pabulum of extremely high 

 nutritive value and of extremely low molecular 



hihle form, so that it may entirely and rapidly 



disappear without disturbance of physico-chemical eqni- 



librium i: h-bearing cella. The mechanism con- 



I in Mar aralleled 



in the synthe- 



organic substances, and it is luit a step from the indi- | 

 vidual serial processes concerned in the formation of i 



each of these rabaUocM to iMOctottd prooeMM wfatrtbjf 

 there are formed and combined the \ariuu.. ub^ 

 that constitute the organ: ,rl cotnpOoeiiU of 



pmtopla>iii. M..r. rerer- 



-iM.- at any stage, and so simple a >. as a 



ehangi- in the pcrcenta,ge of wat*r may, * in the maltotc- 

 -e-glucam- reaction, cause H 



/'. i tiro in both synthetic and an.i like 



thoae whi serial steps i 



and breaking down of stanh. protnn. fat, and other 

 complex organic substances, there does not occur in any 



n. as far as known, either a tranaformatioi 

 production of enzyme such as occurs in riro. hence, 

 when a single enzyme is present it carriex out hut one 

 step of the reactions, but when, as in the case of diastases 

 as ordinarily prepared, the enzyme is not a > 

 stance or unit body but a composite of a number of 

 enzymes or modifications of a given basic enzyme, serial 

 steps may occur as in in... Thus if only a single 

 enzyme be present formaldehyde may be converted mt 

 a monosaccharose, or a monosaccharose into a duac- 

 charose, or a disacchamse into a polysaccharose such a< 

 dextrin, or a dextrin into a higher form of polyvaccharose 

 such as soluble starch, according to the enzyme or modi- 

 fied enzyme and initial substance present; or the reverse 

 of any one of these processes may occur if proper con- 

 ditions are present, but never do any two successive 

 progressive or regressive steps occur unless through the 

 agency of two different enzymes or modified forms of 

 one enzyme which are present. 



It will thus be apparent that the first step of syn- 

 thesis is determined by the character of the initial 

 physico-chemical mechanism and that all subst-uu nt 

 reactions under given conditions an- definitely prede- 

 termined; in other words, the entire train of reactions 

 depi-nds inherently U|M>II the nature of the initial physico- 

 chemical mechanism of which the enzyme that starts the 

 serial changes is an integral part. 



Having a specific sterox-hemii *\ ha sys- 



tem in accordance with the laws of physical-chemistry 

 can exist in either a latent or active etate, and that when 

 in an active state the reaction or reactions are always in 

 the direction of the establishment of equilibrium of 

 solution, every reaction or series of reactions being as 

 definitely predetermined as is every reaction familiar to 

 the inorganic chemist. The germpla>m in the form in 

 which it is secreted may be regarded as U-ing in the 

 nature of an exceedingly complex Ktcn< !;. mic system 

 which is from it- im i; soon is in a state 



of physico-chemical unequilihrium, and in which, as a 

 consequence, reactions are set up which are manifested 

 especially in histological dc\clpmenU that ultimately 

 c-hara fully ,!.. :..|-d ovule, at which time a 



state of ph\-h o-.-liemicsj equilibrium is established, as 

 lent liv the arrested developmental activities. Thi* 

 state of physico-chemical equilibrium of the matured 

 ovule may be instantly chanjred to one leading to rial 



i by means of an acti- 



.stance or condition, such as certain ions or 



.mic salts, a spermatozoon, or a needle prick, by 



the first step of the reactions, the nature of 



the succeed in}? re.i ng predetermined primarily 



l.y the inherent nature of the physico-chemical system 



