1916] REED—OXIDASE REACTIONS 305 
it was found that the oxygenase was quite as active as before the 
treatment. 
From these observations it appears that the function of catalase 
in protecting the organism against hydrogen peroxide is extremely 
limited, if indeed it may be said to exist at all. 
Finally, it has been suggested many times, and supported by a 
considerable body of experimental data, that the action of catalase” 
is associated with the reactions of the oxidases. Although the iso- 
lation of catalase has shown that the oxidases are not of necessity 
concerned in the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, as was 
originally supposed, the idea is still held generally that the action 
of the oxidases is in some manner connected with or dependent 
upon the catalase reaction. 
This association of oxidase action with the decomposition of 
hydrogen peroxide was suggested at an early date by SCHOENBEIN. 
He found that plant and animal tissues were usually capable of 
effecting the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and activating 
many oxidation processes. In studying the relative power of various 
organs of the animal body to break down hydrogen peroxide, 
SPITZER™ found them to stand in about the same order in which 
ABELOUS and B1arnés” had arranged them in respect to their 
ability to oxidize salicylic aldehyde. From this correlation SPITZER 
was led to believe that both processes have the same cause, and he, 
therefore, used the rate of evolution of oxygen from hydrogen per- 
oxide as a measure of the oxidizing ability of tissues and tissue 
extracts. 
These observations have been extended by Lo—EVENHART and 
KAsTLE," who have also studied the behavior of certain inorganic 
_catalyzers in this connection. They report a striking parallelism 
between the rate at which a number of substances activate the 
oxidation (by hydrogen peroxide) of formic acid or of formic 
aldehyde, and the rate of hydrogen peroxide in the presence of 
these substances. They accordingly conclude that catalase action 
4 Spitzer, W., Pfliiger’s Archiv. 67:615-656. 1897. 
™ ABELOUS and Brarnés, Arch. de Physiol. 8:311. 1896. 
3 Lorvennart, A, S., and Kasrie, J. H., Amer. Chem. Jour. 29:397-437, 563- 
588. 1903. 
