Structure of Collagen Fibres and the Point of Attack by Proteolytic Enzymes

SOME recent work by Bergmann and his colleagues has shown that the action of trypsin on gelatin gels is limited to the surface of the gel1 and that the action on fresh collagen fibres is limited to the cut ends of the fibres2, the enzymes having apparently no power to attack the fibres from their sides. Some observations made here on the penetration of bacteria into putrefying hide suggest that the same generalisation can be applied to the bacterial proteases.