I, ABITITY AND ENERGY IN RELATION TO PROTOPLASM. 405 



Theory. 

 1. 



Albumin is formed by con- 

 densation of the still hypothe- 

 tical aspartic aldehyde which 

 in plant cells either is produced 

 from asparagine or built up of 

 form-aldehyde and ammonia. 



2. 



There is a chemical differ- 

 ence between the albumin of 

 the living" and that of the dead 

 protoplasm. 



3- 



The labile, active albumin 

 leads by organization to living 

 matter, as such and in the form 

 of nuclein and nucleo-albumin. 



4- 



The lability of the albumin 

 of the living protoplasm is 

 caused by the presence of alde- 

 hyde and amido-groups. 



5- 



The conversion of the albu- 

 min of the living to that of the 

 dead protoplasm, presents a 

 remarkable analog)- to the 

 change of a labile substance 

 into a stable modification. 



The unbiassed reader will 

 dence between theory and facts. 



Facts. 

 I. 



There exist intimate physi- 

 ological relations between as- 

 paragine and albumin ; the 

 former is an excellent material 

 for building up the latter. The 

 formation of albumin often 

 takes place with great rapidity. 

 2. 



The living protoplasm shows 

 a chemical behaviour totally 

 different from that of the dead. 



3- 



There frequently occurs, as 

 reserve-material, in plants a 

 highly labile kind of albumin 

 of aldehyde character, whose 

 chemical nature is altered by 

 the same influences, as those by 

 which the protoplasm is killed. 

 4- 



Compounds which react upon 

 aldehydes, and such as react 

 upon labile amido-groups with 

 great energy, are poisons for 

 all organisms. 



5- 



The transition of living pro- 

 toplasm into dead is accompa- 

 nied by contraction and deve- 

 lopment of heat. 



perhaps find here some coinci- 



(1) A full account of theoretical views and actual observations is contained in my 

 treatise: The Energy of Living Protoplasm. London, 1896; Kegan Paul, Trench, 

 Trfibner & Co- 



