ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF PEPTONE. 605 
The Physiological Effects of Peptone and its Precursors when introduced, 
into the Circulation—Third Interim Report of a Committee, con- 
sisting of Professor EH. A. Scuirer, F.R.S. (Chairman), Professor 
C. S. SHERRINGTON, F’.2.S., Professor R. W. Boyce, and Professor 
W. H. THompson (Secretary). (Drawn up by the Secretary.) 
In pursuing this research during the past year, work has in the first 
instance been directed towards the completion of the different portions of 
the enquiry already in hand. In several of the sections this has been 
achieved, and the results have been published in extenso in the ‘Journal 
of Physiology ’ for the current year. 
The following is a brief réswmé of the chief conclusions arrived at, as 
given in the above articles. 
The substances employed were—Purified amphopeptone, antipeptone, 
deuteroproteose, protoproteose, heteroproteose, and, in certain cases, 
Witte’s ‘ peptone.’ 
Section I. Jnflwence on Blood Coagulation. 
(a) With purified amphopeptone only a retarding effect was observed. 
The doses employed varied from 0-005 grammes to 0-2 grammes per kilo 
of body weight. 
(6) With antipeptone only a hastening effect was yielded by doses 
up to 0°3 grammes per kilo. 
(c) With each of the primary and secondary proteoses both phases of 
coagulation effect were observed. In all, coagulation was hastened in eight 
experiments, retarded in seventeen experiments. 
Section IT. Jnflwence on Blood Pressure. 
(a) All of the substances employed, with the exception of antipeptone, 
possess undoubted vaso-dilating properties. 
(6) The effect in question belongs to these substances in different 
degrees, the products taking their places in increasing order of potency, 
as follows : amphopeptone, deuteroproteose, heteroproteose, protoproteose. 
(c) Antipeptone possesses practically no immediate lowering influence 
on the tonus of blood-vessels, or at most an effect so transient that it is 
doubtful if it should not be attributed to adhering impurity. 
Section III. Influence on Vaso-Mobility. 
(a) The vaso-dilating influence shown by the bodies under examina- 
tion, in agreement with that caused by Witte’s ‘peptone,’ is brought about 
by a peripheral effect on the vessel walls, causing a reduction or tempo- 
rary suppression of vaso-mobility. 
(6) Amphopeptone and deuteroproteose, while differing little from each 
other, manifest far less effect in this respect than do the primary pro- 
teoses. The latter exert this influence to a profound degree. 
(c) Of the primary bodies, protoproteose is probably the more potent, 
though not to a wide extent. Heteroproteose, indeed, almost equals in 
influence its fellow body. 
(d) The effect of Witte’s ‘peptone’ must therefore be mainly ascribed 
to its protoproteose constituents. This body ordinarily forms a much 
larger ingredient of the substance in question than does heteroproteose. 
