90 PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. 



last, however, was previously present in the plasma. Under the 

 action of the fibrin ferment the serum globulin and fibrinogen unite 

 forming fibrin. In the coagulation a reciprocal action takes place 

 between the protoplasm of the leucocytes and the plasma, so that 

 the plasma quickly destroys the leucocytes and is itself destroyed by 

 the setting free of fibrin ferment with the separation of fibrin 

 (SCHMIDT and RAUSCHE^BACH). Such an exchange action not only 

 takes place between the blood-plasma and the leucocytes, but also 

 between blood-plasma and animal protoplasm in general indeed, 

 even between vegetable protoplasm and blood-plasma (SCHMIDT and 

 GROHMANN). While the blood-serum in general acts as a conser- 

 vator on the cells, the blood-plasma on the contrary has a destruc- 

 tive action, and this action develops the fibrin ferment. This last- 

 mentioned is chiefly a decomposition product of the cells (SCHMIDT, 

 RAUSCHENBACH; FOA and PELLACAKI), and it may therefore be 

 called " protozym" (RAUSCHENBACH). A destruction of the leuco- 

 cytes may also occur in the blood under physiological conditions, and 

 therefore traces of fibrin ferment are habitually forme'd in the blood. 

 Within certain limits the organism may be guarded from a danger- 

 ous increase in these processes. According to SCHMIDT and GROTH, 

 and SCHMIDT and KRUGER, the injection of leucocytes into the circu- 

 lating blood may produce an intravascular coagulation, but the cor- 

 rectness of this statement is denied by WOOLDRIDGE. According 

 to him, the pure, washed leucocytes are inactive and the action ob- 

 served by SCHMIDT and his pupils is caused by contamination with 

 " lymphfibrinogen" The lymphfibrinogen is a representative of an 

 entire group of protein substances which are precipitated by acetic 

 acid, contain lecithin, which occur in many organs and tissues but 

 which have not been closely studied and which WOOLDRIDGE has 

 named " tissue fibrinogen s." 



According to ALEX. SCHMIDT, the coagulation of the blood is an 

 enzymotic process, produced by the fibrin ferment, in which two 

 protein substances, the serum globulin and the fibrinogen, form the 

 material substrata of the fibrin. There is no basis for the assump- 

 tion that the serum globulin in the newly-formed fibrin exists 

 otherwise than as a mechanical contamination. It is true indeed 

 that the strongly-contaminated serum globulin prepared from 

 serum containing enzymes accelerates coagulation, and the amount 



