AS RESERVE-MATERIAL IN PLANTS. 31 
of Poa ; shoots of Pisum and Vicia ; leaves, stems, and flowers 
of Tussilago, Ranunculus, Veronica, Convallaria. 
The active albumen may serve not only for the growth of 
protoplasm, but also for the formation of enzymes. It may be 
changed into passive albumen and then form the aleuron grains 
and protein crystals, as seems to be indicated by an observation 
of Peters, who reports: ‘‘The formation of protein crystals 
proceeds in cells of Sparganium and Carex in the interior of a 
drop-like accumulation of protein matter by the crystallisation- 
process.”^ The passive proteids as reserve-material in the 
seeds are most probably always products of change of previously 
formed active proteids.— 
In the animal kingdom no such highly labil, dissolved 
reserve- proteids, are found; at least the coffeïn-reaction cannot 
be obtained. Easily changeable albuminous substances of 
another character as the active albumen described occur; the 
proteids of the bloodserum causing the artificial and natural im¬ 
munity, as the highly important investigations of Emmerich, 
Tsuboi , Buchner have shown, and the poisonous proteids of snakes 
and of the blood of eels may be mentioned in this regard. Also 
the enzymes or soluble ferments belong to the labil proteids. 
I have observed, that these latter substances lose their 
efficacy by treatment with a neutral diluted solution of formic 
aldehyde, which may be considered as an indication that labil 
amidogroups play an important rôle in their active condition. 1 2) — 
The mode of action of coffeïn or antipyrin upon the vegetable 
objects mentioned above, consists probably in the formation of 
very loose combinations of these bases with the active albumen, 
whereby the original chemical nature of the latter is otherwise 
not altered, combinations which are less soluble than each of the 
constituents for itself. But also the hypothesis is admissible, 
that these bases lead mainly to a loose kind of polymerisation 
by an irritating influence. Be this as it may, at least it cannot 
be disputed that the original condition is restored by washing out 
1) Botan. Centr. Vol. 48, p. 181. Interesting are also some observations of 
Molisch, Mikosch and Chmielewsky, relating to the occurrence of spindle-and ringlike 
bodies of albuminous matter in the leaves of Epiphyllum and Oncidium, Bot. Centr. 
1890, II. 341. 
2) O. Loew, Jahresbericht f. Thierchemie, 1888, p. 273. 
