578 TISSUE RESPIRATION 



of the intestinal worms. Bunge 's studies were made upon the 

 ascarides of the cat, horse and pig and, too, upon leeches. 

 He found that the former can exist for from four to six 

 days outside the body in a practically oxygen-free fluid, 

 manifesting very active movements, and, obviously as the 

 result of cleavage processes in their tissues, giving off 

 abundant amounts of carbonic acid. These studies by 

 Bunge were later continued by Ernst Weinland in Munich. 

 The latter was at once struck by the large amount of gly- 

 cogen contained in the intestinal parasites ; the dried sub- 

 stance of an ascaris may consist of as much as one-third 

 and that of a taenia of as much as one-half of glycogen. 

 Obviously the anoxybiotic decomposition of this carbohy- 

 drate, a form of fermentation process, is the most impor- 

 tant source of energy from which these types of life pro- 

 vide their requirements. According to Weinland the sugar 

 is decomposed in them into carbonic acid, valerianic acid and 

 hydrogen, according to the following equation : 4C 6 H 12 6 = 

 9C0 2 + 3C 5 H 10 2 + 9H 2 (although it should be added the 

 formation of hydrogen has not been directly proven) . Ernst 

 J. Lesser has discovered that a marked anoxybiotic glycogen 

 decomposition may also be observed in earthworms, which 

 may amount to six times the rate of oxybiotic glycogen de- 

 composition, and in which in addition to carbonic acid a 

 volatile fatty acid, apparently valerianic acid, appears. 

 Methane, hydrogen and alcohol are apparently not present. 

 The previously presented efforts seeking to establish an 

 alcoholic fermentation as a normal process of intermediate 

 metabolism in the animal economy, therefore receive no 

 support, at least from these investigations. 52 



62 Literature upon Anoxybiotic Vital Processes in Animals : 0. v. Fiirth, 

 Vergl. chem. Physiol. der niederen Tiere, pp. 134-136, Jena, 1903; E. J. Lesser, 

 Zeitschr. f. Biol., 52, 282; 53, 533; 54, 1; 56, 467, 1911; Ergebn. d. Physiol. 

 8, 786-796, 1909. 



