34 PHARMACEUTICAL BACTERIOLOGY 



opinion that the prototrophic group of bacteria were the first living 

 things upon the earth's surface. Troland is of the opinion that enzymes 

 played the leading part in the creation of life. The source of the first 

 enzyme (protenzyme) is however not known. If all enzymes now known 

 are of living origin then we must assume that the protenzyme came into 

 existence before the protoplasm (first plasm). Thus the Troland sugges- 

 tion is really of no help in explaining the orgin of life. There is however 

 no reason why we should not assume that protenzyme and protoplasm 

 developed at one and the same time. Allen held that the conditions which 

 maintain life are also conducive to the creation of life, and should by chance 

 all life on the earth's surface at the present time be destroyed, a new 

 cycle of life would begin forthwith. Pfluger suggests that there is a funda- 

 mental difference between a living protein and a dead protein and that the 

 cyanogen radical is the distinctive part of the molecular complex of living 

 proteins. Moore was one of the first to give serious consideration to the 

 importance of colloidal changes in the development of living matter. 

 While none of the investigators have yet been able to solve the problem of 

 life, yet the numerous propositions which have been made from time to 

 time, and the yet larger number of theories which will be offered in the near 

 future, are indications that the trend of science is in the same direction 

 and it is but reasonable to expect that some one will in the not very distant 

 future find the solution. 



