Febbuary 19, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



309 



quite rapidly from a few thousand to many mil- 

 lions. Milk infected with B. coli did not coagulate 

 within thirty days, except by heating, which was 

 first observed nine days after infection with a 

 bacterial count of 1,000,000,000 per cubic centi- 

 meter and acidity of 4 per cent. 



Since the investigations are yet incomplete, 

 further conclusions are not deemed advisable at 

 this time. 



Abstracts were not received for the following 

 papers : 

 The Quantity of Copper absorbed in the Process 



of Greening Vegetables and the Effect thereof 



on Digestibility: H. W. WitEY and Herman 



SCHREIBEK. 



The Composition of Concord, Catawba and Scup- 

 pernong Grape Juices: H. C. Gore. 



A Simple Rapid-process Vinegar Ge^ierator for 

 Experimental Purposes: H. C. Gore. 



Some Reactions of Coal-tar Colors: C. B. Coch- 

 ran. 



Copper Compounds with Protein and their Rela- 

 tive Digestibility: H. W. Wiley and H. 

 Schbeibee. 



Prairie Soil of Unusual Composition: F. J. 

 Alway. 



The Determination of Essential Oil and Alcohol 

 in Flavoring Extracts: Julius Hoetvet and 

 Rodney Mott West. 



The Fruit "of Medeola Virginica: Nicholas 

 Knight and Lois E. Poyneeb. 



biological chemistby section 

 J. J. Abel, chairman 

 Enzymes of Some Lower Fungi: Abthur W. Dox. 

 The enzymes were prepared by growing pure 

 cultures of the molds on a protein-free medium 

 and dehydrating the mycelium by Albert and 

 Buohner's method for " Aeetondauerhefe." The 

 Penicillium of Camembert cheese was used prin- 

 cipally. It was found to contain a protease which 

 digests casein, gelatine and Witte-peptone, but 

 which is without action on ovalbumin, vitellin, 

 fibrin, elastin, edestin and excelsin. Its greatest 

 activity is at the neutral point of methyl orange. 

 It resembles Cohnheim's erepsin and Ascoli's 

 " glutinase." A hippuric acid splitting enzyme 

 was also found which yielded 64 per cent, of the 

 theoretical amount of benzoic acid in twenty-four 

 hours. Two green molds, Penicillium chryso- 

 genum Thom and Penicillium Roqueforti Thorn, 

 both of which answer to Link's description of 

 Penicillium glaucum, yielded in the one case 83 

 per cent, hydrolysis with sodium hippurate and 



in the other case no hydrolysis at all. Attention 

 is, therefore, called to the necessity of using defi- 

 nitely identified organisms to make chemical ex- 

 periments of any value. The numerous carbo- 

 hydrate-splitting enzymes found in fungi by pre- 

 vious investigators were due in part at least to a 

 breaking down of glycogen contained in the mold 

 extract. 

 Some of the Fermentative Properties of Bacteria: 



D. H. Bergey, M.D. 



In a previous paper' I reported on a number of 

 bacteria studied by myself and Dr. Deehan with 

 regard to the fermentation of saccharose, dulcite, 

 adonite and inulin. These carbohydrates were 

 employed because the work of MacConkey indi- 

 cated that they were of primary importance in 

 the differentiation of bacteria belonging to the 

 colon cerogenes group. Subsequent study with 

 regard to the fermentative properties of these 

 bacteria on other carbohydrates demonstrated that 

 an organism without fermentative properties for 

 these four carbohydrates might still not compare 

 with others of similar properties with regard to 

 other carbohydrates. Detailed study has shown 

 that lactose, sorbose, raffinose and dextrin are also 

 of primary importance in the differentiation of 

 this group of bacteria. 



I have attempted to ascertain some law con- 

 cerning the fermentative properties of these bac- 

 teria to assist in explaining why one carbohydrate 

 should De acted upon by a particular organism 

 and another carbohydrate of related structure left 

 intact. According to the teaching of Fischer and 

 others, ferments can break up only those carbo- 

 hydrates that have one or more asymmetrical 

 groups, and in the light of Fischer's teaching the 

 ferment must correspond in configuration to the 

 carbohydrate on which it is acting, in a way 

 similar to the relation of a key to the lock which 

 it opens. We must conceive then that the fer- 

 ment must likewise possess one or more asym- 

 metrical groups so as to correspond to the con- 

 figuration of the carbohydrate, or to be enabled 

 to link on to the carbohydrate molecule to form 

 a new chemical combination. 



My studies have failed to disclose any constant 

 relation between the carbohydrates fermented by 

 closely related bacteria, and hence no law by which 

 one could foretell what action a certain micro- 

 organism might have on the different carbohy- 

 drates. 



Abstracts have not been received for the follow- 

 ing papers: 



' Journal of Medical Research, Vol. XIX., p. 175. 



