PRINCIPLES OF AUTOLYSIS 79 



being found in iiutolyzod organs. Reducing substances appear, and 

 as before mentioned, numerous volatile fatty acids are said to be 

 produced. ^Vluch doubt exists concerning the supposed formation of 

 volatile fatty acids and gasses during autolysis since it was shown by 

 Wolbach, Saiki and Jackson-" that anaerobic bacteria are almost in- 

 variably present in aseptically removed dog livers, for control of auto- 

 lysis by anaerobic cultures has seldom been carried out. However, 

 there is much evidence that lactic acid is formed, and perhaps par- 

 tially destroyed, in autolysis (Tiirkel,^^ Ssobolcw^^). Carefully con- 

 trolled experiments by Lindcmann-^ seem to show that even in the 

 absence of bacteria, autolyzing liver and heart can produce volatile 

 acids, CO2 and hydrogen. The increase in fat described by some 

 authors is probably only apparent, and due rather to the liberation of 

 the fat from its combination with the proteins so that it is free and 

 not "masked," as in normal organs.^'' Lecithin is decomposed, 

 yielding choline, but cholesterol remains unchanged except for some 

 hydrolysis of cholesterol esters. ^^ Creatine is changed to creatinine 

 in autolyzing muscle, and apparently both are formed in autolysis of 

 blood and liver. -^ 



The nucleo-proteins seem to be attacked by the autolytic enzymes, 

 as the purine bases are prominent among the products of autolysis, 

 and in quite different proportions from those obtaining in digestion 

 of the same tissues by other means. Apparently autolytic enzymes, 

 like trypsin, attack the protein group of the nucleoproteins, liberating 

 the nucleic acids. These in turn are attacked by specij&c enzymes, 

 nucleases,'^'' which liberate the purine bases, which are further decom- 

 posed by specific enzymes, guanase, adenase, etc. (See Chap, xxiii). 



It is improbable that the intracellular enzymes are merelj^ pan- 

 creatic enzymes taken out of the blood by the cells, because of the 

 differences previously cited; furthermore, Matthes^^ found that the 

 liver retained its autolytic power after the pancreas had been extir- 

 pated (in dogs), and that the autolytic degeneration of cut peripheral 

 nerves went on just the same, indicating that the autolytic enzj^mes 

 do not owe their origin to the pancreas. 



Whenever tissues are disintegrated in any considerable quantities, 

 as after extensive burns, peptolytic enzymes become demonstrable in 



20 Jour. Med. Res., 1909 (21), 267. 



2» Biochem. Zeit., 1909 (20), 431. 



" Ibid., 1912 (47), 367. See also v. Stein and Salkowski, Biochem. Zeit., 1913 

 (40), 486. 



"Zeit. f. Biol, 1910 (55), 36. 



2^ See Krontowski and Poleff, Beitr. Path. Anat., 1914 (58), 407. 



"Corper, Jour. Biol. Chem., 1912 (11), 37; Kondo, Biochem. Zeit., 1910 (27), 

 427. 



26 Myers and Fine, Jour. Biol. Chem., 1915 (21), 583; Hoagland and McBrvde, 

 Jour. Agric. Res., 1916 (6), 535. 



"Sachs, Zeit. physiol. Chem., 1905 (46), 337; Jones, ibid., 1903 (41), 101, 

 and 1906 (48), 110. 



28 Arch. f. exp. Path. u. Pharm., 1904 (51), 442. 



