Page:Defensive Ferments of the Animal Organism (3rd edition).djvu/86

 that, in this experiment, the albumen has to be previously freed from all nitrogenous and crystalloid admixtures by dialysis or by boiling.

When the plasma of specially treated animals, which experiment showed to be active, that is, to split up proteins and peptones, was raised to the temperature of 60°C. it became inactive, i.e., its decomposing action could no longer be demonstrated.

The facts we have enumerated have been repeatedly verified by numerous experiments. In all these experiments on specially prepared plasma or serum control experiments have, of course, been carried out, on the one hand with peptone solutions alone, on the other hand with the plasma alone. Further, the serum, or plasma, was made inactive each time, for the purpose of avoiding any error, by raising the temperature to 60°C. Finally it was shown, by the use of the dialysation method, that the observations made by means of the so-called optical method were absolutely correct. It mav also be mentioned that iodized albuminous substances were also injected, and that no splitting action of the blood plasma could be produced in this case. We know, from other experiments, that iodized albuminous substances are decomposed with difficulty or not at all. It seems likely that they are so intensely disharmonious with the body that the organism, even though armed with the proper ferments, can find no