Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-16

higher peptQeS, the nearest approach to protein
yet produced The higher peptides" not unlike
bacteria, but not organized they partake of the
nature of ferments, which in scientific parlance are
known engines" Engines are the active principle
of yeast They wonderful and very mysterious
little bodes yet little is understood of their nature
Science knows that engines will perform the most
marvellous tasks tasks wholly out of proportion to their
size and volume 1t is due to the engines yeast that
bread is made to ferment, and everyone knows what
tiny quantity of yeast is needed raise very large
quantity of dough- Perhaps the astonishing thing
of all about the engines is that after performing their
task they themselves wholly unaltered as to FORM
size bulk. Their presence in other words causes
the remarkable changes to occur which the layman
briefly classes together fermentation"
If two pieces of platinum placed in an acid LIQUID
and subjected to strong current of electricity the
platinum will be pulled to pieces, and the tiny particles
which remain will roll about in the liquid like heavy
cloud. If drop of this be dropped into hydrogen
peroxide the metal liquid will behave itself very much
like engine 1t will decompose million times it's
own volume of peroxide, and after performing this
giants task will have retained its original form and
chemical composition
A French chemist DR.. Stephane Leduc of the Univer.
sty of Nantes has produced chemical growths which he
terms "osmotic growths" which, if anything are more
wonderful even than Dr. Fschers higher peptides."
Dr. Leduc srews calcium chloride particles into soIu
ton OF alkaline carbonaes, phosphates silicates
and produces growths which bear a remarkable re.
sembance to corals plants, polyps and trees.
These growths which, it must be emphasized are of
purely chemical origin, not forms that have
crystalized into shapes resembling vegetable growths
They show all symptoms of youth, old age decay and
death They do not grow by accretion like crystals but
by ntussuscepton which is the technical term for the
which all organic matter builds up its cellular
tissuehat is grows. This that it absorbs its
nutrition like living beings converts the nutriment thus
absorbed into substances which it is able to assmate
in growing, for instance of internal sap not
unlike the sap of plant the blood of animals Thus
the phenomena of circulation present and to this must
be added respiration
Ii injury is inflicted upon osnotc growth, il re-
pairs that injury in much the way as the animal
organism heals wound inflicted upon it, 1t is able to
perform periodic movements, and most remarkable of
ALL if the weight of osmotc growth be compared
with the weight of the seed from which it sprang, it
will found to be many times greater than that seed
while the liquid in which it grew, the other hand,
loses weight showing that it has been used up by the
osmotic growth in process OF assimilation.
Dr. Leduc does not claim that these osmotc growthS
organic matter, but in view of the many points
which they have in common with vegetable forms the
question arises eff they not vegetable forms, are
they not at least intermediate form from which
vegetables be developed?"