20 
LIVING PROTOPLASM AND 
higher animals. 0,03 g. sodium nitrite kills a frog, 0,05 g a 
rabbit (Emmerich and Tsuboi]; 1 2 ) Binz). 
We observe therefore: The conclusion that the labil atom- 
groups in the living protoplasm are aldehyde-and amidogroups, 
agrees exactly with physiological phenomena, with toxicological 
facts, which cannot be said of the views of Pflüger and of 
Latham assuming the labil groups to be cyanogengroups. Ac¬ 
cording to the view of Pflüger the chemical change connected 
with the loss of life consists in the chemical fixation of the 
elements of water, according to our view, however, in a migration 
of atoms from labil to stable position without water being taken 
up. Cyanides will react with hydroxylamin only in concentrated 
solutions and at higher temperatures, aldehydes however in the 
cold and in high dilutions. The poisonous actions of all 
the substances above mentioned, furthermore, are not in ac¬ 
cordance with the cyanogen-hypothesis. 
As labil amidogroups act readily upon labil aldehydegroups 
there arises a constant danger to the living cells themselves of 
an inter-molecular poisoning taking place; indeed we need only 
to heat the living organisms to 45-50° and death will result with 
rare exceptions ; the continuous danger has become a reality. 
I expressed this chemical change by the following equation : 
-CH-NH, -CH-NH 
! -o = II 
=C—CIh =C - CHOH 
— - ^-- -— 
An active groups). A passive group. 
Substances that contain simultaneously aldehyde- (resp. 
keton-) groups and amidogroups are indeed of an extraordinary 
lability and when I first published my views upon the formation 
of active albumen in plants (1880, Pflüg. Archiv.) ; no such 
combinations were yet known. But soon afterwards the or- 
thoamidobenzaldehyde was prepared by Friedlaender and found 
to be a very reactive substance. 
1) These two bacteriologists have demonstrated that also the poisonous symp¬ 
toms in cholera depend upon the formation of nitrites from nitrates by the cholera- 
bacillus. 
2) Twelve of such groups are—according to my hypothesis of the formation of 
active albumen—contained in one molecule of the latter; if the simplest expression 
for albumen is taken as a foundation. 
