86 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. [suss. 
showed the presence of pepsin in considerable amount. The fibrin 
was always totally dissolved in the acid solution. Does the pancreas 
then also contain pepsin 1 The pancreatic juice destroys the 
action of pepsin, as it is alkaline ; and, consequently, even though 
pepsin be present, it has no influence on the digestion of food stuffs 
in the intestines. Still, it may he present in the pancreas all the 
same, and only exert its influence in certain forms of disease, or 
possibly when the intestinal juice becomes acid. 
Y. Extracts of the Liver. 
Glycerine extracts of the liver invariably reduce Fehling, 
probably from the conversion of glycogen into a reducing sugar. 
In all cases, however, the reduction obtained by the starch 
solution, previously acted upon by the extract, was greater than 
that from the extract itself. It would appear that in the liver 
there is present an enzyme that corresponds to ptyalin. 
There is also present an enzyme that corresponds to pepsin. In 
two instances, viz., liver of rabbit and human liver post-mortem, 
there was curdling of milk, produced by the action of the extract. 
In no cases was there a reaction suggesting tryptic activity. 
VI. Extracts of Blood. 
A glycerine extract of the blood of the rabbit, physiologically 
normal, had no reaction in the conversion of starch into sugar. On 
the other hand, the extract obtained from the blood of the 
eclamptic very rapidly converted starch into sugar. 
VII. Extracts of Eclamptic Tissues. 
All the extracts obtained from the tissues of the eclamptic had 
the power of converting starch into sugar very markedly, and also 
of partially digesting fibrin, while, with the exception of the 
pancreas, they had no action in alkaline solutions. These reactions 
must depend upon an altered condition of tissues in this disease, 
producing a greater quantity of active enzymes. 
VIII. Extract of Tubercular Sputum. 
It is interesting to note that a glycerine extract of tubercular 
