88 TISSUE FERMENTS 



caseous material are said to be inactive. In contrast 

 to the typical leucoprotease which is active in weakly 

 alkaline solutions, a ferment derived from the mononuclear 

 leucocytes, active in acid solutions, has been described. 

 Attempts have been made to " isolate" the ferment by 

 precipitating with alcohol the autolysates of pus, spleen, 

 marrow, etc., with subsequent solution of the precipitate in 

 dilute glycerine, and to differentiate it from trypsin. Ex- 

 periments have been made to " quantitatively estimate" the 

 proteolytic leucocytic ferment by separation of the white 

 blood corpuscles in citrated blood by centrifugation, dis- 

 solving them in water, and allowing the ferment to act upon 

 a solution of casein, the loss in casein thus occasioned being 

 thereafter determined by the aid of a specific precipitin 

 serum. 39 There is little need to call attention to the lack 

 of exactness naturally inherent to all such experiments. 



To briefly refer to the matter of antileucoprot eases: were 

 it correct to hold that suppurative destruction of tissue is due 

 to the digestive action of the leucoproteases, it would be 

 entirely logical to hope to overcome suppuration by the anti- 

 ferment of leucoprotease or by the "normal antiferment" of 

 the blood serum. As it was believed, following Jochmann, 

 that antileucoprot ease is identical or at least very similar to 

 antitrypsin, attempts have been made to deal with suppura- 

 tions by antitrypsin treatment. 40 The author has already 

 (Vol. I of this series, p. 560, Chemistry of the Tissues) 

 pointed out the more than problematic nature of ' ' antitryp- 

 sin" and has not been impressed with the idea that the 

 practical results of antitrypsin treatment have been brilliant 

 enough to set aside all theoretical doubt. 



Effect of Extrinsic Factors Upon Autolysis: Although 

 the effort to influence autolysis within the living body has 



W M. Franke (Lemberg), Wiener klin. Wochenschr., 1910, No. 33. 

 40 Cf. Jochmann and W. Biitzner, Miinchen. med. Wochenschr., 1908, 2473; 

 R. Chiarolanza, Med. Naturw. Arch., 2, No. 1, 1909. 



