CERTAIN DERIVATIVES OF THE PROTEIDS. 293 



formed incidental to the breaking down of the leucocytes, 

 the liver in its protective r61e preserves the organism from 

 destruction through intravascular clotting by combining with 

 the clot-accelerating substance. A condition thus results in 

 which the blood loses completely or partially its power of 

 coagulating on withdrawal from the vessels. The relative 

 r61e of liver and leucocytes is demonstrated by the fact that 

 if a solution of peptone is passed through an excised dog's 

 liver a fluid results which readily produces " peptone " effects 

 when injected into the circulation of a dog. If, however, the 

 liver is previously freed from blood by lavage through the 

 vessels no clot-retarding fluid can be obtained hi the manner 

 described. Delezenne's theory therefore implies the existence 

 of two substances antagonistic in their influence on blood 

 coagulation, a condition which Spiro and Ellinger* had 

 previously regarded as probable. These latter investigators 

 observed that the injection of acids or of antipeptone over- 

 comes the clot-retarding' power of albumoses, while Dastre 

 and Floresco f had previously called attention to the increased 

 alkalinity of "peptone plasma" and the influence of neutral- 

 ization in inducing coagulation. Lastly, there is evidence 

 that so-called " peptone " may under some conditions hasten 

 the coagulation of the blood. Thus, Thompson J has pointed 

 out that with doses of Witte's " pepton " above 2 centigrams 

 per kilo coagulation is retarded. With doses from 7 milligrams 

 to 2 centigrams per kilo coagulation may be considerably 

 accelerated. 



Our experiments on this subject were intended to throw 

 light not so much upon the direct mechanism by which the 

 variations in clotting power are produced, as upon the rela- 

 tive effectiveness of various proteid and albuminoid products. 

 A large number of substances, for the most part extracts of 

 various animal tissues or organs, are known to have the power 



* Spiro and Ellinger, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 1897, xxiii, p. 121. 

 t Dastre and Floresco, Archives de physiologic, 1897, p. 216. Also Flo- 

 resco, Ibid., 1897, p. 777. 



J Thompson, Journal of Physiology, 1896, xx, p. 456. 



