94 POISONOUS PROTEINS 



and carbohydrates are supplied in a ready- 

 made form. Now if this provision be made for 

 the support of the developing plant and animal, 

 what can be said about the food supplied the 

 numerous cells of the body, whether it be plant 

 or animal. Simple proteins exist in the circu- 

 lating blood of the higher animals. Not only 

 is this true but as Van Slyke and his co-workers 

 have shown the body cells directly use amino 

 acids. The simple proteins probably exist in 

 the circulating blood chiefly in that protein mix- 

 ture about which we know but little and which 

 we designate as serum globulin. In this mix- 

 ture the primitive proteins are ready to enter 

 into combination with the more complex cellu- 

 lar proteins as the latter wear away in their 

 functional activities. Their chemism is held in 

 abeyance by combination with some indifferent 

 substances, such as calcium. I have found that 

 the protein poison from casein is neutralized in 

 vitro by calcium lactate. Indeed the protein 

 poison is largely, but not so quickly, neutralized 

 by incubation with sodium bicarbonate. In this 

 connection it may be well to recall the effect of 

 the withdrawal of calcium on the coagulation 

 of blood and that after severe poisoning with 

 the protein body the clotting of the blood is re- 

 tarded and often wholly prevented. If my idea 



