214 THE FAT-SPLITTING ENZYME. [BOOK II. 



n ... The perfectly fresh pancreas is crushed with glass 



Grutzner s , . r *, . . . . & 



method of pre- powder in a mortar, and mixed with a solution com- 

 paring the fat- posed of 90 c.c. of glycerin and 10 c.c. of a 1 per cent, 

 decomposing solution of Na 2 C0 3 , in the proportion of 30 c.c. of the 

 glycerin solution to 3 grms. of pancreas, the contact 

 being allowed to continue for not longer than four or five days as, 

 after that time, in spite of the alkali added, the reaction becomes 

 acid. 



Given various extracts prepared by the above 

 method^oT ob- me thod, Griitzner ascertained their activity as follows: 

 serving the He made an emulsion by mixing 10 parts of oil of 

 comparative almonds with 5 parts of gum arabic and 35 parts of 

 fat-decompos- water, and prepared a neutral solution of litmus, of such 

 ^creaticTex- stren ^ t ^ 1 an ^ reaction that the solution when contained 

 tracts!* 1 i n test-tubes having a diameter of 12 millimetres and 



placed opposite white paper, had the colour of violets. 

 Several test-tubes had 10 c.c. of the litmus solution added to them, 

 and were then mixed with 5 drops of the above emulsion. Succes- 

 sively increasing quantities of the glycerin extract to be tested (say 2, 

 4, 6, 8 drops) were then added to different test-tubes, which were at 

 once heated by being plunged into water at 37 C. In three or four 

 minutes the tubes were all examined, and the number of drops which 

 had been added in order to redden the litmus noticed. By having 

 several sets of such experiments, one for each extract to be tested, it 

 is easy to determine the comparative richness in ferment. Griitzner's 

 experiments have been repeated by the Author, and have left no 

 doubt on his mind as to the existence of the fat-decomposing ferment. 



The pancreas The power of the pancreas and of suitable extracts 



and pancreatic j. Q decompose the neutral fats suggested the possibility 



extracts pos- ,, ,-, . ,, -,-, . j 



sess the pro- at they might likewise decompose such a body as 



pertyofdecom- acetic ether, and experiment has proved the truth of 



posing acetic the surmise 1 . 



ether 



Hypothesis of a Ferment which decomposes Fats. 



As has been already stated, Bernard explains both the emulsion- 

 izing and the acidifying of the neutral fats by the pancreatic juice, or 

 by the pancreatic tissue, as due to a special ferment, the so-called 

 'emulsive ferment.' For this ferment Dr Sheridan Lea suggests 

 the name ' piolyn.' 



No method of separating the ferment, even in a condition of 

 approximate purity, is however known. In future researches in this 

 direction it will be well to bear in mind, in addition to the influence 



1 Heritsch, 'Ueber die zersetzende Einwirkung des pankreatischen Glycerinaus- 

 zuges auf Essigsaureather,' Centralblatt f. d. med. Wissenschaft, for 1875, No. 28. 



