580 



VITAL ACTIONS OF THE LOWER FUNGI. 



Ferments of 

 glucoeides. 



already appeared in the milk glands. Then Duclaux,* 

 and, later, Hueppe,f have pointed out that numerous 

 bacteria show a fermentative action by means of which 

 they cause the coagulation of the casein of the milk, 

 where the reaction is amphoteric, i.e., slightly acid, and 

 slightly alkaline ; afterwards they usually peptonise the 

 precipitated casein by means of a ferment similar to 

 trypsin, and ultimately break it up still further. To 

 this group belong, for example, the butyric acid bacilli ; 

 and also, according to Hueppe's observations, bacillus 

 pyocyaneus, bacillus mesentericus vulgatus, sarcina 

 aurantiaca, &c. 



6. Ferments which break up glucosides. These act on 

 bodies which have arisen by the ether-like combination of 

 two component elements, in other words, by the loss of water, 

 one of these components being glucose. By the fermentative 

 action water is taken up, and the molecule is split up into its 

 original component elements, hence glucose, and also another 

 body of very varying composition are formed. The best known 

 example of this process is the action of the ferment emulsine 

 on amygdaline, and also that of myrosiiieon myronate of potash; 

 a similar decomposition is also known in the case of salicine, 

 of arbutine, of coniferine, of taimic acid, and various other 

 glucosides. With regard to these, it has not yet been with 

 certainty made out whether several glucosides can be split up 

 by the same ferment, for example by emulsin, or whether 

 here also we must assume the action of specific ferments ; and 

 nothing is accurately known as regards the occurrence of such 

 ferments in the lower fungi. 



7. A ferment which splits up fat into fatty acids and 

 glycerine is probably present in pancreatic secretion, pre- 

 sumably also in many plants and lower fungi. 



Urea ferment. 8. The ferment of urea, which breaks up certain 

 amide combinations in urine with the absorption of 

 water ; urea is converted into carbonate of ammonium, 

 hippuric acid into glycocoll and benzoic acid. Formerly 

 this action was exclusively ascribed to the micrococcus 

 urese, and Musculus isolated, as he supposed, from these 

 bacteria the active enzyme which was soluble in water. 

 According to Ladureau,! this ferment is active in vessels 



* Duclaux, Compf. rend., vol. 91. 



t Hueppe, Deutsche med. U'och., 1884, Nr. 48 and 49. 



J Ladureau, Compt. rend., vol. 99. 



Decomposi- 

 tion of fat. 



