84 Green. — On Vegetable Ferments . 
(2) Those which decompose glucosides, with formation of 
sugar and various aromatic bodies. Of these the best known are 
emulsin or synaptase, myrosin, erythrozym, and rhamnase. 
(3) The proteo-hydrolytic group, including vegetable pepsin, 
trypsin, and rennet, resembling very closely the animal en- 
zymes bearing the same names. 
(4) The enzyme that decomposes oils or fats. 
Besides these well-marked groups, we have instances of the 
occurrence of others whose action is more special and con- 
fined to particular substances which do not seem to play 
a very important part in the metabolism of the vegetable 
organism in general. Such are the enzyme extracted by Lea 
from the cells of Torula Ureae , which decomposes urea with 
formation of ammonic carbonate, and that which according 
to Springer 1 occurs in the stem of Nicotiana , and has the 
property of decomposing nitrates and of forming butyric acid 
at the expense of sugar. Lastly, we have the various enzymes 
extracted from Bacteria. 
These will be described separately and in order. 
Carbohydrate-Enzymes. 
Diastase. Recent observations made by several observers 
lead to the idea that there are two kinds of diastase existing 
in plants. The first of these has been shown by various writers 
to have a very wide distribution in plant cells. Baranetzky 
indeed suggests that it is universally present so long as the 
cells are living. Kjeldahl 2 found it in ungerminated barley, 
where recently it has been investigated by J. O’Sullivan, and 
by Brown and Morris 3 who find it also in the young embryo. 
Persoz and Payen 4 , von Gorup Besanez 5 , and others have found 
it in germinating seeds of various plants, Kossmann 6 and 
1 Nature, Oct. 16, 1884. 
2 Resume du Compte rendu des travaux du Laboratoire de Carlsberg, 1889, I, 
p. 129. 
3 Journal of the Chem. Soc., June 1890, p. 505. 
4 Ann. de Chim. et de Phys. LIII, 1883. 
5 Sitzber. d. phys. med. Soc. zu Erlangen, 1874. 
6 Bull, de Soc. Chim. de Paris, XXVII, 1877. 
