rn^ 



414 



THE BEGINNINGS OF II FE. 



by reason of its own instability, or on account of the 

 reater instability of some more mobile substance with 



which it is brought into contact. 



He 



organic 



com 



•Many 

 are known which undergo, in 

 presence of water, alteration and metamorphosis having 

 a certain duration, and ultimately terminating in putre- 

 faction- while other organic substances that are not 

 liable to such alterations by themselves, nevertheless 

 suffer a similar displacement or separation of their 

 molecules when brought into contact with the former 1/ 



^ ' Pharm. Journal,' 1870. This statement is illustrated by Gerhardt 

 when he says ('Chimie Organique/ t. iv. p. 474): — 'En presence de 

 Teau, le gluten saltere continuellement ; si on le delaye dans I'eau et 

 qu'on Tabandonne dans cet etat a la temperature ordinaire, il se gonfle 

 peu \ peu en degageant beaucoup de gaz acide carbonique melange 

 d'hydrogene non carbone, et d'hydrog^ne sulfure ; en meme temps il se 



acide, et contient de la leucine, du phosphate et de I'acetate d'ammoni- 

 aque ; finalementle gluten se fonce de plus en plus et se dissout presque 



entierement Pendant les differentes phases de sa transformation 



le gluten possede la propriete d'agir comme fermente a la maniere des 

 autres substances albuminoides. Avant de subir lui-meme la ferment- 

 ation putride, il possede la propriety de faire subir une metamorphose 

 remarquable k la matiere amylacee. En effet lorsqu'on ajoute de la 

 farine de ble a de Tempois d'amidon delaye dans Teau et qu'on expose 

 ce melange, pendant quelques heures, k une temperature de 60 a 70° C, 

 il perd sa consistence, se fluidifie, et fmalement devient entierement 

 Sucre; la matiere amylacee se trouve alors convertie soit en dextrine, soit 

 en glucose.' It should be observed that the temperature at which this 

 change takes place, 60-70^^0 (140^-1580 F), precludes the possibihty 

 of its being brought about by living organisms, since Bacteria and 

 Torulce are uniformly killed by exposure for a few minutes to a tem- 

 perature of T40°F. The recent researches of Hoppe-Seyler ('Med. 

 Chem. Unters,' 1871, pp. 557-581), also show that living ferments are 

 Villprl "Kv tf^mnpr'itnrpc wliirTi do nnt destrov the virtues of dead ferments. 



ble 



subst'-^"^' 



,,1J seen^. 



sc 



arce] 



'fi^ 



I 



,jtefl 



of free oX; 

 to disturb 

 elements 



the 

 considering ?' 



alway 



s to be 



r 



mobility 



( 



'il tot some 



.1 



subs 



^LT, 



ence of co: 



of equal 



•rfarities canr 



■■I 



';'aiij particular se 



ramollit et se fluidifie entierement ; Teau qui le recouvre devient alors itaoces may be r; 



^^respcct to their 

 to be pi ?. 



\ 



' i 



are 



( 



1 lb (je 



compos 



■■'"f 2 separate k 



*tlie 



■'^selves be 



made 



ire to be 



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