PROTEIDS OF PLASMA. 161 



mixing blood or serum with starch or glycogen solution, and keeping it 

 at body -temperature. Kohmann has shown that the diastatic change may 

 occur in lymph within the vessels as well as in vitro. Cavazzani 

 obtained most effect in blood taken from the portal vein. 1 Tscherevkoff 

 finds that the diastatic ferment is precipitated by excess of alcohol, and 

 that its action is not destroyed by long standing under alcohol, nor by 

 sodium oxalate. 2 



Glycolytic action. It was noticed by Bernard 3 that the sugar of 

 blood diminished on standing in vitro, Pavy found that both the normal 

 sugar and added sugar diminishes in blood on standing. 4 In any case, 

 and without standing, it is difficult to recover the full amount from 

 blood or serum, apparently owing to the fact that, in coagulating the 

 proteids with a view to their removal, a part of the sugar is mechanically 

 carried down or retained by them ; 5 this fact may lead to very con- 

 siderable experimental errors. 6 Allowing, however, for such errors, it 

 appears clear that there is some actual loss of sugar on standing both 

 in blood 7 and in lymph or chyle. 8 According to Seegen, the glycolytic 

 action is active in the presence of chloroform, and is destroyed by a 

 temperature of more than 54 C., in these respects resembling an enzyme. 

 Lepine states that it is absent or diminished in activity in diabetes, 9 

 whether the result of disease or operation (removal of pancreas), and 

 that a very active glycolysis occurs in perfusing blood through various 

 organs (kidney, lower limbs). 10 Arthus, on the other hand, denies the 

 pre-existence of a glycolytic ferment in blood. He finds no glycolysis 

 in oxalated blood, and thinks it probable that the ferment is formed 

 from leucocytes during coagulation. 11 Kraus finds that the glycolysis 

 which occurs in blood on standing is accompanied by a splitting off of 

 C0 2 , and is probably due therefore to oxidation. 12 



Proteids of plasma. The proteids of plasma are 



1. One or more closely allied albumins (serum albumins). 



2. Two globulins, termed respectively serum globulin and fibrinogen. 



3. A nucleo-proteid or nucleo-proteids. 



Blood contains normally neither albumose nor peptones. 13 All the 

 proteids are completely precipitated by saturating plasma with ammo- 



1 Arch, per le sc. med., Torino, 1893, vol. xvii. p. 105. 



2 Arch, de physiol. norm, et path., Paris, 1895, p. 628. 



3 Compt. rend. Acad. d. sc., Paris, 1876, p. 1406. 



* Proc. Roy. Soc. London, 1877, vol. xxvi. p. 346; and 1879, vol. xxvii. p. 520. See 

 also "Physiol. of Carbohydrates," pp. 171-179. 



5 Riihrnann, Centralbl. f. PhysioL, Liepzig u. Wien, 1890, No. 1 ; V. Harley, Journ. 

 Physiol., Cambridge and London, 189i, vol. xii. p. 391 ; Pavy, Brit. Med. Journ., London, 

 1896, vol. i. p. 453. 



6 Schenck, Arch. f. d. ges. PhysioL, Bonn, 1890, Bd. xlvi. S. 607 ; 1891, Bd. xlvii. 

 S. 621. For a method whereby such errors may be largely avoided see E. Waymouth 

 Reid, Journ. PhysioL, Cambridge and London, 1896, vol. xx. p. 316. 



7 Rohmann, loc. cit. ; Harley, loc. cit. ; Seegen, Wien. klin. Wchnschr., 1892, Nos. 14 

 and 15. 



8 Lupine, Compt. rend. Acad. d. sc., Paris, 1890, tome ex. p. 742; Le'pine and Barral, 

 ibid., 1890, tome ex. p. 134; ibid., 1891, tome cxii. pp. 411, 604, 1185, 1414; and 

 tome cxiii. p. 118. 



9 Lepine antl Metroz, ibid., 1893, tome cxvii. p. 154. 



10 Lepine and Barral, loc. cit. 



11 Arch, de physiol. norm, et path., Paris, 1892, p. 337 ; Compt. rend. Acad. d. sc., 

 Paris, 1892, tome cxiv. p. 605. 



12 Ztschr. f. klin. Med., Berlin, 1892, Bd. xxi. S. 315. See also Rohmann and Spitzer, 

 Ber. d. deutsch. chem. Gesellsch., Berlin, Bd. xxviii. ; and Spitzer, Arch. f. d. ges. PhysioL, 

 Bonn, 1895, Bd. lx. 



13 Halliburton and Colls, Journ. Path, and BacterioL, Edin. and London, 1895, p. 295. 



VOL. I. II 



