20 



LIVING PROTOPLASM AND 



higher animals. 0,03 g. sodium nitrite kills a frog, 0,05 g a 

 rabbit (Emmerich and Tsuboi': 1 ) Binz). 



We observe therefore: The conclusion that the labil atom- 

 groups in the living protoplasm are aldehyde-and amidogroups, 

 agrees exactly with physiological phenomena, with toxicological 

 facts, which cannot be said of the views of Pfliigcr and of 

 Latham assuming the labil groups to be cyanogengroups. Ac- 

 cording to the view of Pfliigcr the chemical change connected 

 with the loss of life consists in the chemical fixation of the 

 elements of water, according to our view, however, in a migration 

 of atoms from labil to stable position without water being taken 

 up. Cyanides will react with hydroxylamin only in concentrated 

 solutions and at higher temperatures, aldehydes however in the 

 cold and in high dilutions. The poisonous actions of all 

 the substances above mentioned, furthermore, are not in ac- 

 cordance with the cyanogen-hypothesis. 



As labil amidogroups act readily upon labil aldehydegroups 

 there arises a constant danger to the living cells themselves of 

 an inter-molecular poisoning taking place ; indeed we need only 

 to heat the living organisms to 45-50 0 and death will result with 

 rare exceptions ; the continuous danger has become a reality. 

 I expressed this chemical change by the following equation : 



-CH-NH, -CH-NH 

 = C-ClS =C - CHOH 



An active group 2). A passive group. 



Substances that contain simultaneously aldehyde- (resp. 

 keton-) groups and amidogroups are indeed of an extraordinary 

 lability and when I first published my views upon the formation 

 of active albumen in plants (1SS0, Pfliig. Archiv.) ; no such 

 combinations were yet known. But soon afterwards the or- 

 thoamidobenzaldehyde was prepared by Fricdlacnder and found 

 to be a very reactive substance. 



1) These two bacteriologists have demonstrated that also the poisonous symp- 

 toms in cholera depend upon the formation of nitrites from nitrates by the cholera- 

 bacillus. 



2) Twelve of such groups are — according to my hypothesis of the formation of 

 active albumen — contained in one molecule of the latter; if the simplest expression 

 for albumen is taken as a foundation. 



