122 THE ALBUMOSES. [BOOK II. 



dilute acid at 40C. If the quantity of pepsin be sufficient to confer 

 intense digestive properties on the solution, the decomposition pro- 

 ceeds in such a manner that there are not produced from the anti- 

 moiety of the molecule any antialbumat or antialbumid ; were the 

 latter body produced, inasmuch as it is incapable of further decom- 

 position by pepsin and acid, it would persist to the very end of the 

 digestive process, whereas it is found that under favourable circum- 

 stances the whole of the proteid acted upon may be converted into 

 peptones. 



By arresting the process of peptic digestion in its earlier stages, 

 Kiihne, as was previously stated, has separated from digestive mix- 

 tures bodies which are included under the generic name of albu- 

 moses, which are intermediate between proteids on the one hand and 

 peptones on the other, there being certain of them which being con- 

 vertible by a continued action of enzyme into antipeptone are termed 

 antialbumoses, and others convertible in a similar manner into herni- 

 peptones and termed hemi-albumoses. 



In the first instance, Kiihne discovered and described under the 

 term of hemi-albumose the first product of hydrolytic decomposition, 

 derived from the hemi-moiety of the proteid molecule. He identified 

 it with a body discovered and described long ago by Bence Jones 1 as 

 a constituent of the urine in a case of osteo-malacia, and which Kiihne 

 had himself also been able to separate from the urine in a similar 

 case 2 . Subsequent researches, however, have led Ktihne to discover 

 that hemi-albumose is a mixed product, consisting of several proteid 

 bodies, which have essentially the same percentage composition, and 

 which have several important characters in common : all of which 

 probably owe their origin to the combination of the elements of water 

 with the proteid, and occupy positions intermediate between proteids 

 and peptones. 



Hemi-albumose, thus, is a mixture of the albumoses, belonging 

 to the hemi-moiety of the proteid molecule, which are all convertible 

 directly by pepsin and acid into hemipeptone, whilst ultimately 

 furnishing, when digested with trypsin and alkali, or when boiled 

 with sulphuric acid, leucin, tyrosin, glutamic acid, &c. According 

 to certain subordinate characters, such as solubility in water and 

 solutions of sodium chloride, Kiihne and Chittenden have described 

 proto-albumoses, hetero-albumoses, deutero-albumoses, and dys-albu- 

 moses 3 . 



1 Bence Jones, Philosophical Transactions, 1848. Part i. p. 55. 



2 Kiihne, 'Ueber Hemialbumose im Harn.' Zeitschrift filr Biologic. Vol. xix. 

 p. 209. 



Kiihne and Chittenden, under heading 'Albumosen im Harn bei Osteomalacia ' in 

 Memoir 'Ueber Albumosen.' Zeitschrift fiir Biologie. Vol. xx. p. 40. 



3 Kiihne und Chittenden, 'Ueber Albumosen.' Zeitschrift fiir Biologie. Vol. xx. 

 (1884), pp. 1151. 



Kiihne und Chittenden, 'Myosin und Myosinosen.' Zeitschrift fiir Biologie. Vol. 

 xxv. (1889), pp. 358368. 



Chittenden und Hart, ' Elastiii und Elastinosen.' Zeitschrift fiir Biologie. Vol. 

 xxv. (1889) pp. 368390. 



