570 
Papaine, 
Am  Jour.  Pharm'. 
Nov.,  t88o. 
was  analyzed.  The  pulp  that  remained  upon  the  filter  was  suspended 
in  a  large  quantity  of  water.  After  filtration  the  liquid  concentrated 
in  a  vacuum  yielded  a  fresh  quantity  of  papaine  (No,  II.),  which  con- 
tained, as  in  the  previous  case,  a  larger  quantity  of  carbon.^ 
Deductions  made 
for  ash. 
1.  II.  '~L  II.~ 
Carbon,  .  .        42-21        4418        46-90  48*55 
Hydrogen,  .  6-2S         6-28         6-99  6-90 
Oxygen,  .  ,        lo'oo         9-00         ...  ... 
It  is  therefore  demonstrated  that  the  pulp, after  being  freed  by  wash- 
ing from  soluble  ferment  that  may  be  adherent  to  it,  still  yields,  by  the 
action  of  water,  a  ferment  capable  of  digesting  fibrin.  It  may  be 
recalled  here  that  the  gastric  ferment  appears  to  be  contained  under  an 
insoluble  form  in  the  pepsiniferous  glands,  for  these  do  not  yield  it  to 
pure  water. 
The  analyses,  just  quoted,  show  that  the  soluble  ferment  of  Carica 
papaya^  such  as  is  obtained  in  precipitating  by  alcohol  the  aqueous  solu- 
tion containing  it,  is  not  of  a  constant  composition.  Numerous  ana- 
lyses of  crude  papaine  have,  in  fact,  given  very  divergent  results  in 
respect  to  the  proportions  of  carbon  and  nitrogen,  the  carbon  varying 
between  46  and  53  per  cent,  and  the  nitrogen  between  14  and  18  per 
cent.,  deduction  being  made  for  ash.  The  proportion  of  ash  varied 
also  ;  generally  it  was  high,  amounting  to  4  per  cent,  and  even  more  j 
in  one  case  it  amounted  to  20  per  cent.  It  was  ascertained  that  the 
ash  consisted  chiefly  of  phosphate  of  lime;  it  yielded  soluble  salt  to 
water,  and  sulphuric  acid  and  a  small  quantity  of  potash  have  been 
noticed. 
It  follows  from  the  foregoing  that  alcohol  precipitates  from  papaw 
juice,  fresh  or  digested  with  water,  a  principle  of  variable  composition. 
This  would  not  be  surprising,  as  the  ferment  might  be  mixed  with  other 
amorphous  principles,  especially  with  albuminoid  substances,  modified 
by  its  action,  /.  peptones.  These  peptones  being  more  dialysable 
than  the  ferment  itself,  it  might  be  hoped  that  the  ferment  would  con- 
centrate on  the  dialyser.  Experience  has  shown,  in  fact,  that  the  resi- 
due from  dialysis  yields  a  ferment  richer  in  carbon,  and  not  containing 
more  than  i  to  3  or  4  per  cent,  of  ash.  The  following  are  some  ana- 
lyses of  the  ferment  so  purified.     It  may  be  remarked  that  the  white 
1  Analyses  of  the  pulp  exhausted  by  water,  alcohol  and  ether  gave  variable  results. 
This  residue  still  contained  nitrogen. 
