AS RESERVE- MATERIAL IN PLANTS. 



31 



of Poa ; shoots of Pisum and Vicia ; leaves, stems, and flowers 

 of Tussilago, Ranunculus, Veronica, Convallaria. 



The active albumen may serve not only for the growth of 

 protoplasm, but also for the formation of enzymes. It may be 

 changed into passive albumen and then form the aleuron grains 

 and protein crystals, as seems to be indicated by an observation 

 of Peters, who reports: "The formation of protein crystals 

 proceeds in cells of Sparganium and Carex in the interior of a 

 drop-like accumulation of protein matter by the crystallisation- 

 process." 1 ) The passive proteids as reserve-material in the 

 seeds are most probably always products of change of previously 

 formed active proteids. — 



In the animal kingdom no such highly labil, dissolved 

 reserve-pvoteids, are found ; at least the coffein-reaction cannot 

 be obtained. Easily changeable albuminous substances of 

 another character as the active albumen described occur; the 

 proteids of the bloodserum causing the artificial and natural im- 

 munity, as the highly important investigations of Emmerich, 

 Tsuboi, Buchner have shown, and the poisonous proteids of snakes 

 and of the blood of eels may be mentioned in this regard. Also 

 the enzymes or soluble ferments belong to the labil proteids. 

 I have observed, that these latter substances lose their 

 efficacy by treatment with a neutral diluted solution of formic 

 aldehyde, which may be considered as an indication that labil 

 amidogroups play an important role in their active condition. 2) — 

 The mode of action of coffein or antipyrin upon the vegetable 

 objects mentioned above, consists probably in the formation of 

 very loose combinations of these bases with the active albumen, 

 whereby the original chemical nature of the latter is otherwise 

 not altered, combinations which are less soluble than each of the 

 constituents for itself. But also the hypothesis is admissible, 

 that these bases lead mainly to a loose kind of polymerisation 

 by an irritating influence. Be this as it may, at least it cannot 

 be disputed that the original condition is restored by washing out 



1) Botan. Centr. Vol. 48, p. 181. Interesting are also some observations of 

 Molisck, Mikosch and Chmiclcwsky, relating to the occurrence of spindle-and ringlike 

 bodies of albuminous matter in the leaves of Epiphyllum and Oncidium, Bot. Centr. 

 1890, II. 34r. 



2) O. Loew, Jahresbericht f. Thierchemie, 1888, p. 273. 



