96 Chapter IV 



cavity of animals into which wheat flour or starch were injected. 

 He observed that the small granules are quickly ingested by isolated 

 leucocytes, whilst the large granules are surrounded by quite a layer 

 of phagocytes. He agrees with several other writers, that the amylase 

 found in defibrinated blood has its origin in leucocytes. 



Leber^, in the course of his researches on inflammation, made the 

 observation that the pus of a hypopyon that was absolutely aseptic 

 digests coagulated fibrin at a temperature of 25° C. and liquefies 

 gelatine very readily. Achalme*^ has confirmed this and has added 

 several other interesting data. He investigated the soluble ferments 

 of pus and directed his attention amongst others to experimental pus, 

 set up by the injection of spirit of turpentine. In addition to amylase 

 and a ferment which liquefies gelatine, Achalme has discovered in 

 pus, saponase (lipase), casease, and a ferment closely allied to trypsin. 

 This last readily digests fibrin and also attacks coagulated white of 

 egg ; in the products of this digestion Achalme found peptone but 

 could not always obtain leucin and tyrosin. He never succeeded in 

 demonstrating the presence of sucrase, inulase, emulsin or lactase 

 in pus. On the other hand he found large quantities of oxydase, 

 thus confirming the discovery of Portier^ who was the first to demon- 

 strate that these ferments met with in the blood are, in the living 

 animal, found inside leucocytes. By a large number of experiments, 

 [103] carried out on most diverse representatives of the animal kingdom, 

 Portier was able to establish the important fact that the oxydases 

 which are found in many organs or in the fluid of blood withdrawn 

 from the organism really originate in leucocytes as they deteriorate 

 and break up. In this respect, then, they resemble fibrin-ferment 

 very closely. 



To complete the list, already considerable, of leucocytic ferments, 

 I must further cite the anticoagulating soluble ferment whose 

 existence in Mammals has been so well demonstrated by Delezenne. 



All this evidence encourages us, then, to support the thesis that 

 alexine is one of the numerous intraleucocytic soluble ferments and 

 that it only passes into the fluids as the result of rupture or of 

 damage to the phagocytes. Nolf {Ic) has recently pronounced 

 against this view ; we must therefore examine his arguments closely. 

 In the first place he takes his stand on the analogies between the 



1 "Die Eiitstehung der Entziiudung," Leipzig, 1891, S. 508. 



2 Compt. rend. Soc. de Biol, Paris, 1899, p. 568. 



8 " Les Oxydases dans la s6rie animale," Paris, 1897. 



