97 
finally a water-clear liquid which vigorously oxidizes salicylic alde- 
hyde and which now gives none of the protein reactions. 
The ferment thus obtained is soluble in water and, as has been 
pointed out, can be salted out with ammonium sulfate. It is practi- 
cally nondialyzable. In spite of its great solubility in water, the 
ferment is not removed from the liver by intensive washing out of the 
circulatory system with 0.7 per cent salt solution. At a pressure of 
six atmospheres the ferment passes through the Chamberland filter. 
The aldehydase was found by Jacoby' to be perceptibly soluble in 20 
per cent alcohol, but insoluble in concentrations equal to or greater, 
than 30 per cent. It is also precipitated from its solutions by tan- 
nin. With dilute solutions of the ferment the Millon and biuret 
tests were found to be negative. Aldehydase was found to lose its 
oxidizing power on boiling or by treatment with small amounts of 
free acid or alkali. Toward salts it conducts itself much like a glob- 
ulin, and yet at the concentration at which it vigorously oxidizes 
salicylic aldehyde it does not give the protein reactions. 
That aldehydase is a ferment is indicated by the fact that it is 
not consumed in the oxidations which it can accomplish, but can 
react with fresh quantities of the oxidizable substance. Thus Jacoby 
allowed a clear extract of liver to act upon salicylic aldehyde for 
forty-eight hours, at the end of which time small portions of the 
liquid gave an excellent test for salicylic acid. The main portion 
of the liquid was then dialyzed against water for three days and the 
ferment was then salted out with ammonium sulfate and the pre- 
cipitate dissolved in water. Two-tliirds of this solution alone gave 
no test for salicylic acid after seventy-two hours’ digestion, whereas 
another portion digested with salicylic aldehyde gave an abundant 
test for salicylic acid. 
In addition to the above-mentioned researches, aldehydase has 
formed the subject of numerous investigations during the past fif- 
teen j^ears, among which may be mentioned those by Salkowski and 
his coworkers, Abelous and Biarnes, Medwedew, and others. The 
occurrence and distribution of the ferment in various animal tissues 
has been studied by Salkowski and by Salkowski and Yamagiwa, 
and also by Abelous and Biarnes. In oxidizing power toward 
salicylic aldehyde, Salkowski and Yamagiwa ( 355 ) found certain 
animal organs to stand in the following order: 
Liver = 100. 0 
Spleen = 80. 4 
Kidney = 15. 5 
Pancreas — 2. 0 
Muscle = 1. 0, 
11670— Bull. 59—10 7 
