32 



ACTIVE ALBUMEN 



these bases, which remarkably easily and without producing 

 injury can penetrate the living protoplasm. It is different how- 

 ever, if we apply stronger bases (and their salts), as for instance : 

 guanidin, methylamin, propylamin, anilin, toluylendiamin, atro- 

 pin, amarin, piperidin, coniin, nicotin, chinin, strychnin, morphin, 

 codei'n, chinolin or pyridin in 0,1-0,3 percent solutions. Here 

 also we observe granulations, but they do not coalesce to droplets, 

 and solidify soon,, becoming entirely insoluble in water. The 

 protoplasm itself is also attacked with more or less energy by all 

 these bases and killed quickly by chinin and strychnin, more 

 slowly by morphin, atropin or pyridin.^ — Of inorganic bases: 

 ammonia and its carbonate, hydroxylamin, caustic soda, and 

 caustic potash produce like results: very minute granulations 

 and quick death of the cells. But these bases have to be applied 

 only in 0,1-0,01 per cent solutions for a production of a more 

 intense granulation; a 1 per cent solution of ammonia will yield a 

 lesser granulation, than a 0,2 p. mille solution ; and a 5 per cent 

 solution will change the active albumen so rapidly that no granu- 

 lations at all result. Very dilute caustic potassa produces a 

 more intense granulation than a corresponding solution of caustic 

 soda ; but neither carbonates nor secondary phosphates of these 

 two bases, nor limewater can produce any granulations worth 

 mentioning. 



We have seen, that a highly labil, easily changeable albumi- 

 nous substance is often stored up in plant-cells, that it is used 

 up in growth and multiplication of cells, and that it behaves 

 towards ammonia and alkaline silversolution like an aldehyde. 

 We have found on the other hand (Chapt. Ill), that a series of 

 toxicological facts point to the presence of aldehyde-g\:o\\ys> in the 

 proteids of the living protoplasm. This leads us to the logical 

 conclusion, that our labil reserve-albumen is the very substance 

 which yields by the organisation-process the living protoplasm, 

 that it is active albumen, chemically but not morphologically 

 identical with the active albumen of the living protoplasm. That 

 this active albumen in the not-organised state is a little less 

 labil, than in the organised state is intelligible, it brings on 



1) Nitrogenous substances deficient of basic qualities do not produce proteo- 

 somes, as: skatol, hydrobenzomid, dimethyloxypyrimidin, leucin, tyrosin, asparagin, 

 allantoin, kreatin. 



