78 ENZYMES 



in the pancreas it does not hydrolyze neutral fats. The brain contains 

 enzymes ]iydrolyzin<>- mono- and triaeetin, lecithin and cephalin.^^^ 



Little is known about the part played by lipase in pathological con- 

 ditions. According to Achard and Clerc/** the amount of splitting of 

 ethyl butyrate by the blood-serum is lessened in most diseases, and in- 

 creases and decreases Avith the health of the patient; according to 

 Pribram ^* and Sagal ^''^ it is increased in the blood during fevers. 

 Clerc ^'•' found that acute arsenic, phosphorus and diphtheria-toxin 

 poisoning increased this property of the serum, while chronic poison- 

 ing and staphylococcus intoxication lowered it. Somewhat similar 

 results were obtained by Grossmann,-" but Saxl found no increased 

 activity in phosphorus poisoning. Using the ethyl butyrate test, 

 AYintemitz and ]Meloy -^ found that the more nearly normal an organ 

 is the more cleavage of the ester; lipolytic activity is low at birth, 

 increases rapidly during the first few days of life, and does not de- 

 crease in old age. There is a decline in activity of tissues in diabetes, 

 tuberculosis, and the toxemia of pregnancy, in the livers of passive 

 congestion and fatty degeneration, in the pneumonic lung and the 

 cirrhotic liver. After taking food there is a slight increase in esterase, 

 reaching a maximum in three hours. -'''^ Wliipple -'^°- finds the blood 

 lipase (butyrase) increased whenever there is injury to the liver, 

 such as in chloroform anesthesia and puerperal eclampsia ; it is lowered 

 in cirrhosis. Poulain -- found that the butyric-splitting power of 

 lym])h-g]ands draining infected areas Avas decreased. Fisclier ^^ 

 observed, in a case of extreme lipemia in diabetes, that the lipolytic 

 power of the blood was absent. The lipase of lipomas presents 

 no demonstrable difference from that of ordinary fatty areolar 

 tissues.-* 



Lipase has also been demonstrated in pus by a number of ob- 

 servers,-' Avho agree that there is more in exudates than in transu- 

 dates. Zeri -" found lipase in the urine only when pus or blood was 

 also present, but Pribram and Loewy -'^ found it in nephritis, con- 



isoEnplisli and IVIacArtlnir (Jour. Aiiicr. Chom. Soc. 1915 (.37). Or).'?). who 

 have also found in sheop l)rain, erepsin, amylase, catalase. enzymes deeomposinfj 

 arluitin and salol, probably pepsin and trypsin, but not peroxidase, oxidase, 

 reductase, jjuanase, urease or rennin. 



i« Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol.. 1002 (54), 1144. 



IS Cent. inn. Med., 1908 (29), 81. 



loCompt. Rend. Soc. Biol., 1901 (53), 1131. 



zoBiochem, Zeit., 1912 (41), 181. 



21 Jour. Med. Res., 1910 (22), 107. 

 20a.Toblinfr et al.. Jour. Exp. Med., 1915 (22), 129. 



2ia Whipple et al., Bull. Jolms Hopkins Hosp., 1913 (24), 207 and 357. 



22 Com p. Rend. Soc. Biol., 1901 (53), 7Sfl. 

 23Virchow's Arch., 1903 (172), 218. 



24 Wells, Arch. Int. ]\led., 1912 (10), 297. 



2'-. Aclialme. C'ompt. Rend. Soc. Biol., 1899 (51), 5(iS -. Zeri. 11 Bolicliiiieo. 1903 

 (10), 43.-]; Meiiniii, Clin. ]\led. Ital., 1905 (44), 129. 

 2" 11 Policlinico. 1905 (12), 733. 

 27 Zeit. j)l)ysiol. f'liein., 1912 (70), 489. 



