86 BACTERIOLOGY. 



tained this fact for anthrax spores.) The high 

 temperature increases the amplitude of vibra- 

 tion of the movable atom groups within the 

 proteid molecule until the molecule, at the 

 temperature that causes rigor and death, is 

 rent asunder and passes over from the condi- 

 tion of true, active, unstable proteid into the 

 state of rigid, inactive, dead proteid. That 

 this conception is in reality correct follows 

 from the fact that Scholl was able by treat- 

 ment with potash to restore to serum albumin 

 a measure of the activity which had been 

 arrested by heat. 



In other cases the active proteid appears like 

 an anhydride of dead proteid ; at all events, on 

 hydration it passes over into an inactive con- 

 dition. In still other cases the active proteid 

 seems like a polymerization product of dead, 

 inactive proteid. In every instance, however, 

 the real, living, active proteid is an extraordi- 

 narily complex structure as contrasted with the 

 inactive, dead proteid with which alone, until 

 a recent date, the chemist has worked. Such 

 active proteid is endowed, through the reactiv- 

 ity of the atom groups in its molecule, with nu- 

 merous possibilities of movement. Through 

 communication of the molecular movements 

 which result from such reactivity, active pro- 

 teid may on its side affect other reactive chemi- 



