FIBRINOGEN. 245 



strongly diminishes after the extirpation of the liver (NOLF), and that 

 fibrin ogen may indeed be entirely absent in the blood in phosphorus 

 poisoning (CoRix and ANSIAUX, JACOB Y, Do YON, MOREL, and KAREFF ! ), 

 and that the blood of the hepatic vein, according to DOYON, MOREL 

 and KAREFF, 2 is richer in fibrinogen than the blood from other vessels. 

 Fibrinogen has the general properties of the globulins, but differs 

 from other globulins as follows: In a moist condition it forms white 

 flakes which are soluble in dilute common salt solutions, and which 

 easily conglomerate into tough, elastic masses or lumps. The solution 

 in 5-10 per cent NaCl coagulates on heating at 52-55 C., and the faintly 

 alkaline or nearly neutral weak salt solution coagulates at 56 C., or at 

 exactly the same temperature at which the blood-plasma coagulates. 

 Fibrinogen solutions are precipitated by an equal volume of a saturated 

 common salt solution, and are completely precipitated by adding an excess 

 of XaCl in substance (thus differing from serglobulin) . A salt-free solution 

 of fibrinogen in as little alkali as possible gives with CaCl 2 a precipitate 

 which contains calcium and soon becomes insoluble. In the presence 

 of NaCl or by the addition of an excess of CaCl 2 the precipitate does not 

 appear. 3 A neutral solution of fibrinogen is precipitated by a concentrated 

 solution of sodium fluoride when added in sufficient quantity. Fibrino- 

 gens from different kinds of blood behave somewhat differently in this 

 regard. According to HuiSKAMp 4 fibrinogen from horse-blood hardly 

 dissolves in NaCl of 3-5 per cent at ordinary temperatures, while it 

 does dissolve at 40-45. It also dissolves in ammonia of 0.05 per cent, 

 and on the addition of 3-5 per cent NaCl this solution can be neutralized. 

 The fibrinogen prepared by HUISKAMP in this way retained its typical 

 properties. Fibrinogen differs from the myosin of the muscles, which 

 coagulates at about the same temperature, and from other protein bodies 

 in the property of being converted into fibrin under certain conditions. 

 Fibrinogen has a strong decomposing action on hydrogen peroxide. It 

 is quickly made insoluble by precipitation with water or with" dilute acids. 

 Its specific rotation is (a) D = 52.5 according to MITTELBACH. S 



1 P. Muller, Hofmeister's Beitrage, 6; Mathews, Amer. Journ. of Physiol., 3; Nolf, 

 Bull. Acad. Roy. Belg., 1905, and Arch, intern, de Physiol., 3, 1905; Langstein and 

 Mayer, Hofmeister's Beitrage, 5; Morawitz and Rehn, Arch. f. exp. Path. u. Pharm., 

 58; Corin and Ansiaux, Maly's Jahresber., 24; Jacoby, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 30; 

 Doyon, Morel, and Kareff, Compt. rend., 140; Doyon, Morel, and Peju, Comp. rend, 

 soc. biolog., 58; Doyon, Cl. Gautier and Morel, ibid., 62. 



2 Journ. de Physiol., 8 (1906). 



3 See Hammarsten, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 22; Cramer, ibid., 23. 



4 Huiskamp, ibid., 44 and 46. In regard to fibrinogen the reader is referred to 

 the author's investigations. Pfliiger's Archiv, 19 and 22, and Zeitschr. f. physio! . 

 Chem., 28. 



5 Zeitschr. f . physiol. Chem., 19. 



