392 AXXALS XEW YORE ACADEMY OF SCIEXCES 



Tissues of dogs killed with selenioiis acid, with selenic acid or with 

 potassium selenocyanate showed no reduction in catalase values. This 

 fact points to the decomposition of the selenium compounds injected, 

 with the formation of substances that had no inhibiting effect on catalase 

 action. 



SALIVAET AI^IYLASE 



The influence on salivar}' amylase was determined by "Wohlgemuth^s 

 method. Small amounts of sodium selenite ( neutralized) and sodium 

 selenate (0.05% to 0.1%) had a slight effect on ptyalin. In the presence 

 of 0.05% sodium selenite and, more markedly, in the presence of 0.05% 

 sodium selenate the activity of the amylase seemed slightly increased. 



The presence of potassium selenocyanate in the saliva or in the urine 

 interferes with the Fehling-Benedict reduction test. 



PEPSIX 



The results obtained with pepsin showed that selenious or selenic acid 

 could replace the hydrochloric acid of the gastric juice. Selenious acid 

 was slightly inhibitive, while selenic acid resembled sulfuric acid in the 

 marked inhibition which it shows towards proteolysis. Sodium selenite 

 (neutralized) and sodium selenate (0.01% to 0.2%) had little or no 

 effect on peptic activity. Higher concentrations produced inhibition, 

 this being more marked with sodium selenite than with sodium selenate. 

 Potassium selenocyanate, even in minute amounts, inhibits digestion, this 

 probably being due, in part, to the mechanical interference of the brick- 

 red precipitated selenium, which completely covered the fibrin, or pos- 

 sibly to the presence of the compound that results from the acid decom- 

 position of potassium selenocyanate. 



TRTPSIX 



Slight amounts of sodium selenate and potassium selenocyanate had 

 no effect on tr}-ptic activity. Xeutralized sodium selenite inhibited even 

 in small quantities. 



REXXIX 



Sodium selenate and potassium selenocyanate (0.05%c-0.5%) had no 

 influence on rennin. Coagulation was retarded by concentrations of 

 neutralized sodium selenite above 2%. Sodium selenite and sodium 

 selenate had but a slight effect on the souring of milk. Potassium seleno- 

 cyanate showed an inhibiton- effect, the amount of inhibition bein^ 

 directly proportional to the concentration of the salt. 



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