The record-union., 1899-07-26
THE ENzYME.
DIR. LOEW's PLAN FOR TREAT
ING GERM DISEASES.
What an Enzyme Is-Wherein It
May Prove Superior to an
Antitoxic Serum.

dispatch few days ago that sDr. Os-
car Loew, one of the experts in the
Agricultural Department, had been eX-
perimenting upon a new mode OF treat
ing germ diseases. In this 1nVeSuga-
ton he has co-operated with DIR. Ku-
dolph Emmerich of Munich. The funda'
mental idea of the new system is the
use of enzyme or ferment, that is pro-
duced by the same bacteria that causes
the malady to be overcome. OF course
one recognizes a certain similarity be-
tween this plan and the use of an
antitoxic serum, as in the case Oh
diphtheria. Hence, with the purpose
of ascertaining how far his method dlI-
fered from that of Behring and Others
DR.. Loew was invited by the Tribune
recently to furnish some further de-
tails.
Before quoting the replies which that
obliging scientist was good enough 10
afford the "Tribune's" inquiries, it may
be we'll to mention some other facts
in regard to engines. An engine has
singular power of inducing certain
kinds of action at a distance. The dis
coloration of white wines is due to
served on the freshly cut face of an
apple is also explained in the same
manner. The oxygen of the air COM
bines with the tannin in the pulp, and
a new compound is promoted by their
union. The combination is promoted
by the presence of engines existing In
the cells of the fruit.
These and other engines which IA
vor oxidation are known as oXydases,
and the particular one that occurs IN
apples is called a malase. The engine
which hardens and darkens the juices
that enter into Japanese lacquer is
named laccase.
1t is a curious fact that the effects
observed are not produced by direct
contact between the engine and other
substances on which it acts. More
over there seems to be no limit to the
extent of it's action. When chemical
union takes place there is a certain
fixed proportion between the quanti-
ties of the elements brought together
and beyond this amount any single ele-
ment is powerless. But an engine
goes on influencing adjacent sub
stances in a surprising way.
Diastase, which assists in the con-
version of starch into sugar; rennet
which curdles milk in cheese making,
and pepsin, which promotes the diges-
ton of food in the stomach, further
illustrate the behavior of engines.
In order more fully to elicit DR..
Loew's views, he was catechised last
week in the following manner:
rs an engine to be looked upon as
living organism, like a bacillus, or
ptomaines are?"
1T is not an organism, but an ex-
ceedingly changeable and soluble COM
pound, having a proteinlike nature,
which, by virtue of containing much
chemical energy, can exert powerful
action on other compounds. There are
many enzymes-many more than have
been studied thus far. Engines are
secreted by every animal and vegeta-
BILE organism"
How can you identify an engine
by it's form or by it's properties?"
"Only by it's activity or mode of ac-
ton, under favorable conditions of
temperature, or the kind of chemical
reaction it gives-acid, alkaline or
neutral
1T has been suggested that an anti
toxin. like that of diphtheria. does not
act directly on the bacillus of the dis
ease, but overcomes the poison, or
toxin, left in the system by the bacillus.
Is that the way in which, in your opin,
ion, the engine would fight disease?"
1.-The so-called antitoxins, according
Il
myself, nothing else than engines,
which act not only upon the poison, but
also upon the bacillus. If the so-called
antitoxins did not attack the bacillus,
the latter would multiply infinitely in
the infected body"
Wherein do you regard your proceed
ure better than the old one?"
1.-The old methods of immunization
for which a substitute is now proposed,
are three in number-one employs in
jections of attenuated cultures of the
disease germ another uses filtered Gull
lures, and the third introduces into the
patients veins a serum derived from
an immunized animal. Now, the last
is better than the first two, both OF
which are unsafe. The proper atten-
uation is not fixed for different bacilli
A filtered culture may contain engines,
but it also contains impurities, and
even poisons.
''The plan which Professor Emmerich
and I have suggested is superior to
those just described. we think, in that
it applies the purified. isolated engine.
the active principle of the older
methods. 1t can be prepared in dry
and durable state at a very moderate
COST
How many varieties of engine re,
lated to disease have you been able to
find?'
Professor Emmerich, and have thus
far studied minutely only the engine
of the bacillus pyocyaneus. Some OBJ
servations were also made with the
engines of the micrococci of erysipelas
and with streptococci. But the engine