Abstract
At various times since 1884, one of us (M.) has studied the effects of shaking upon living cells, such as red blood corpuscles, bacteria, and arbacia eggs. Those experiments led to the general conclusion that shaking, by virtue of the mechanical factor, exerts a profound influence upon living organisms. In the present series of experiments we intend to investigate the changes which shaking may produce in the action of ferments. We began with the study of pepsin, the determination of which is greatly facilitated by several recently described reactions.
Solutions of pepsin, partly filling long bottles, were shaken at room temperature and at a temperature of 33° C. for periods of different lengths, by means of shaking machines. Our results which we state here very briefly are unmistakable. Shaking under these conditions destroys pepsin. Even short periods greatly diminish its strength. If shaken long enough it is completely destroyed. The temperature has a marked influence upon the rate of destruction. Higher temperatures hasten the destruction.
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