46 GENERAL AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL. 







(BLUM l ) by means of autolysis, we can consider this autolysis as a 

 remedy and perhaps also as a protective agent for the animal body. 

 In this connection the investigations of BILLARD 2 must be mentioned 

 where the autolytic fluid from the pig liver was strongly antitoxic 

 toward viper poison, cobra poison, tetanus toxin and also toward 

 cocaine, curare and strychnin. 



As above stated, the chemical processes in animals and plants do 

 not stand in opposition to each other; they offer differences indeed, 

 but still they are of the same kind from a qualitative standpoint. PFLU- 

 GER believes that there exists a blood-relation between all living cells 

 of the animal and vegetable kingdoms, and that they originate from the 

 same root. The animal body is a complexity of cells, hence study of the 

 chemical processes must not only be made upon higher plants, but also 

 upon unicellular organisms in order that we get a proper explanation 

 of the chemical processes in the animal organism. Although a bio- 

 chemical study of the micro-organisms is very important, we must bear 

 in mind also the important role played by such organisms in animal 

 life, chiefly as exciters of disease; hence the study of the conditions of 

 life of these micro-organisms and the chemical investigation of the prod- 

 ucts produced by them must be of infinite importance. 



If in the autolysis of animal tissues micro-organisms are added and 

 if no antiseptic is present which prevents their development, then they 

 increase abundantly because of the favorable conditions for development. 

 At the same time the enzymes are also formed to a great extent and by 

 whose aid the exchange of matter takes place in the bacteria. It follows 

 that many chemical processes occur depending upon the kind of bacteria 

 present and which are foreign to bacteria-free autolysis. The entire 

 process has been called putrefaction. Among the products formed we 

 will mention the sulphureted hydrogen, indol and skatol which chiefly 

 give the odor to putrefying proteins. In regard to other putrefactive prod- 

 ucts we refer to Chapter VIII. Under ordinary circumstances compounds 

 of a basic nature may also be produced by putrefaction. To this class 

 belong the cadaver alkaloids called ptomaines, first found by SELMI in 

 human cadavers and then specially studied by BRIEGER and GAUTIER. S 

 Certain of these are poisonous, designated as toxines, while others are 

 non-poisonous. They all belong to the aliphatic compounds and gen- 

 erally do not contain oxygen. As an example of these basic substances 



l Hofmeister's Beitrage, 5, p. 142. 



2 Cornpt. rend. Soc. Biol., 70, 623 (1911). 



3 Selmi, Sulle ptomaine od alcaloidi cadaverici e loro importanza in tossicologia, 

 Bologna, 1878; Ber. d. d. chem. Gesellsch., 11, Correspond, by H. Schiff; Brieger, 

 Ueber Ptomaine, Parts 1, 2, and 3, Berlin, 1885-1886; A. Gautier, Traite" de chimie 

 ppliqu6e a la fhysiologie, 2, 1873, and Compt. rend., 94. 



