354 Death and Dissolution of the Organism 



might say that the preservation of a certain Ch prob- 

 ably at or near the point of neutraHty during Hfe pre- 

 vents self -digestion, while the gross alteration of the 

 Ch in either direction after death (or after the cessa- 

 tion of oxidations in the tissues) induces autolysis. 

 Bradley indeed suggests that many of the phenomena 

 of autolysis during lifetime, such as atrophy, necrosis, 

 involution, might be due to an increase in the Ch in 

 the tissues. 



These facts agree with the suggestion of Fermi that 

 in the living cell the proteins cannot be attacked by 

 the digestive enzymes but relieves us of the necessity 

 of making the monstrous assumption of a "living 

 molecule" of proteins as distinct from a *'dead" mole- 

 cule. The difference between life and death is not one 

 between living and dead molecules, but more likely 

 between the excess of synthetic over hydrolytic 

 processes. 



In the second chapter we mentioned the interesting 

 idea of Armstrong that when a synthesis is brought 

 about by a digestive enzyme (^. g.j maltase) not the 

 original substrate is formed (e, g.^ maltose) but an 

 isomer, in this case isomaltose; and this isomer is not 

 attacked by the enzyme maltase. We thus get a 

 rational understanding of the statement which Claude 

 Bernard used to make but which remained at his time 

 mysterious: la vie, c'est la creation. During life, 

 when nutritive material is abundant, through the 



