CATALYSIS AND THE ENZYMES 



yet facts enough which show us how far we are 

 from a thorough understanding of the life- 

 process. The striking feature of the present state 

 of biological science is that nothing that we dis- 

 cover sufficiently explains the intimate connection, 

 the marvellous regulation of all processes in living 

 substance. Up to our days the living cell has 

 represented an unknown mechanism which reacts 

 most accurately and corresponds to the present 

 conditions and which possesses all abilities to 

 preserve its structure and the species beyond the 

 limits of life. 



An exact knowledge of the chemistry and of 

 the physics of the living substance will un- 

 doubtedly teach us far more of these hidden 

 combinations than we know at present. I cannot 

 but add that there is nothing to indicate that the 

 phenomena of life are ruled by forces which are 

 different from chemical and physical energies in 

 inanimate Nature. The fundamental laws of 

 energetics seem to dominate in all Nature. The 

 two principles of the mechanic theory of heat 

 govern everywhere. In animate Nature no case is 

 known where the principle of Conservation of 

 Energy is not followed. The more exactly physio- 

 logical experimental work is carried out, the more 

 care is taken to apply quantitative methods. 

 Thus we have come into possession of a great 

 number of data which invariably show that the 

 transformation of energy obeys the same laws in 



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