1880.] Hydrolytic Ferments of Pancreas and Small Intestine. 395 



35°C, a process which could easily be carried out without decomposi- 

 tion taking place. The dried tissue was used with a given volume of 

 the experimental liquid containing a known quantity of the carbohy- 

 drate. The volume of the liquid was kept constant during the experi- 

 ment, and the small increase in solid matter due to hydration was taken 

 into consideration. Far more accurate results are obtained by this 

 method than by attempting to estimate the correction for the total 

 solids by digesting a given weight of the tissue in a given volume of 

 water. In the latter case the solvent action of the water upon the 

 tissue always differed somewhat from the solvent action of the solution 

 of the carbohydrate employed. 



When a clear infusion of pancreas, obtained by acting for several 

 hours upon one part of the finely divided pancreas of the pig with 

 five parts of cold water, is added to starch-paste at 40° C, complete 

 limpidity is produced with extreme rapidity, and in from ten to 

 fifteen minutes iodine ceases to produce any reaction for soluble starch 

 or erythrodextrin. Careful observations at different periods of the 

 reaction showed unmistakeably that the transformation in its first 

 stages does not differ in the least from transformations of starch-paste 

 made at 60° C. with aqueous malt-extract, which has not been pre- 

 viously heated to a higher temperature. When the specific rotatory 

 power of the transformation products has reached [a]; 3 . 86 , 162°*5, the 

 cupric-oxide reducing power is found to be k 49 — 50. When about 

 3 cub. centims. of the pancreatic infusion have been used for everv 

 grain of starch, the time occupied in fully bringing about this 

 change is from forty to fifty minutes. The liquid now contains 

 maltose, and an achroodextrin having all the properties of our ackroo- 

 dextrin £. 



The maltose was proved to be identical with that obtained by the 

 action of malt-extract by isolating it in its characteristic crystalline 

 form, and by determining its specific rotatory and cupric-oxide re- 

 ducing powers. 



The composition of the matter in solution at this point is 



Maltose 80*8 



Dextrin 19'2 



100-0 



which is that required by our No. 8 equation. 



lOO^H^Q + 8H 2 = 8C 12 H 22 O n + C 2 ,H 40 O 20 



Soluble starch. Maltose. Achroodextrin £. 



On continuing to digest the liquid at 40° C, the values of and r 

 undergo a little alteration, which is, however, very slow when com- 

 pared with the previously rapid degradation of the starch-molecule. 



The following is an example of such an experiment : — 



