The Production of Diastase 
by Microscopical Plants. 
Illustrated by Stereopti= 
con Views. 
JOKICKI TAKAMINE, M. D., 
By 
Brooklyn, N. Y. 
A paper read before the Thirty-fifth 
regular meeting of the Brooklyn Medi- 
cal Society, April 15,1898. 
Discussed by 
Tjr.r>L-lyry and 
»r, JOSEPH H. HUNT, 
Dr. ALBERT H. BRUNDAGE. THE PRODUCTION OF DIAS- 
TASE BY MICROSCOPICAL 
PLANTS. ILLUSTRATED BY 
STEREOPTICON VIEWS. 
JOKICHI TAKAMINE, M. D., 
BROOKLYN, N. Y. 
A paper read before the Thirty-fifth regular meeting 
of the Brooklyn Medical Society, April 15,1898. 
DISCUSSED BY DR. JOSEPH H. HUNT, 
President Kings County Medical Society, Brooklyn, 
DR. ALBERT H. BRUNDAGE. 
and 
REPRINT PROM THE 
New England Medical Monthly. 
For July, iBgB. 
THE D LNBURY T* 
, THE PRODUCTION OF DIAS- 
TASE BY MICROSCOPICAL 
PLANTS. ILLUSTRATED BY 
STEREOPTICON VIEWS. 
MR. PRESIDENT, Ladies and 
Gentlemen: It gives me great 
pleasure to address you this evening 
on a subject to which I have given 
my attention for the last twelve 
years, namely:—the new process of 
producing diastase. It is the result 
of the introduction of modern sci- 
ence into Japan. You are all aware 
that some forty years ago the well- 
known commander, Com, Perry, 
opened Japan for the first time to 
the commerce of the world. Since 
then Japan has made remarkable 
progress in the introduction of mod- 
ern civilization. As a rule most of 
the eastern nations were opened to 
civilization at the point of the sword 
or Armstrong gun. In the case of 
Japan it is interesting to note that 
the opening of the country was by 
the influence of medical science. 4 
Even before Com. Perry came over, 
there was a small settlement of Hol- 
landers in the port of Nagasaki and 
the practice of the Dutch doctors 
was highly appreciated:—so much so 
that a college and hospital was es- 
tablished with a faculty and staff 
composed of Dutch doctors. Young 
men gathered from different parts of 
the country and studied medicine in 
that school, and before long its dis- 
ciples were scattered all over Japan. 
Many schools were established where 
the medical sciences were taught ac- 
cording to the European methods. 
About thirty years ago, a civil war, 
or revolution occurred, after which 
the Emperor of Japan resumed his 
power, and to his government all 
this modern progress of Japan is 
due. When the Emperor resumed 
power, he selected for his cabinet, 
men of modern ideas, men thor- 
oughly acquainted with the methods 
of present civilization. From 50 to 
60 per cent, of the cabinet members 
were interested in medicine, either 
he was a physician, was going to 
be a physician, or had studied mod- 
ern science under medical men. So 
you will observe that the medical 5 
science opened the heart of the Jap- 
anese people, and not the point of 
the gun, as was the case in many 
other countries. As a step of pro- 
gress, colleges and universities were 
established under the able professor- 
ship of Americans and Europeans. 
Young people were selected and sent 
abroad to gain a knowledge of mod- 
ern sciences. Various applications 
of their studies have been made in 
Japan. The subject to which I de- 
sire to draw your attention this even- 
ing is one of the results of such an 
application of modern science, which 
has been known in Japan for cen- 
turies, namely:—the Japanese meth- 
od of producing diastasic substances. 
Up to the present time the germ- 
ination of cereals has been the only 
source of diastase of any practical 
importance known in America and 
Europe. There are diastases of ani- 
mal origin, such as precipitated ptyal- 
ine, or pancreatic diastase. But their 
sources are limited and their potency 
unreliable. At any rate, the mass of 
artificial diastase was supplied by a 
diastase of vegetable origin and was 
made in the manufacture of alcoholic 
beverages. It seems that every na- 6 
tion drinks more or less alcohol, even 
some of the primitive savage tribes; 
they seem to want the effect of a 
stimulant. It is said that some sav- 
age tribes use the diastase of the 
saliva as the source of alcoholic 
drinks. manage to cook 
starchy grains'* and then each con- 
tributes the diastase of his own 
manufacture, in the form of saliva, 
into the common pot. In a little 
while the starch will be converted 
into sugar. In the course of a few 
days fermentation sets in and the 
alcoholic beverage is ready, which 
the contributor comes back to enjoy. 
As civilization advances it is found 
that individuals cannot utilize the 
diastase of saliva for the manufac- 
ture of alcoholic beverages. On the 
contrary, an artificial diastase be- 
comes necessary. In America and 
Europe, as previously stated, the 
germination of cereals was the only 
source of vegetable diastase, but in 
Japan, as in some other Asiatic coun- 
tries, certain kinds of fungi were used 
in the production of diastase which is 
one of the essential elements re- 
quired in the manufacture of alco- 
holic beverages. I have taken up this subject for investigation, and 
have found various kinds of fungi 
that have the property of generating 
diastase besides that which is used in 
Japan called Eurotium Oryzae, by 
Dr. Ahlburg, who first investigated 
the substance. Different fungi have 
different powers of generating dias- 
tase; some are highly diastasic, while 
others are non diastasic. By careful 
selection and cultivation, we get a 
species of the best quality. After 
such selection is made, it is cultivat- 
ed on suitable nutritious culture 
media and a large supply of healthy 
seed spores are obtained. It takes 
about a week to get a crop of seeds. 
7 
To make a practical use of this 
microscopical plant the bran of 
wheat is selected as the most con- 
venient culture media. The bran is 
first moistened with water and thor- 
oughly sterilized by steaming. After 
the mass has cooled, it is thoroughly 
mixed with a small quantity of 
spores of pure culture. The mass is 
then put into an incubator, or grow- 
ing room, similar to that of a malt 
floor, and is kept at the proper tem- 
perature and humidity. In about 
twenty-four hours the fungus shows 8 
its growth and the diastasic strength 
of the mass steadily increases. In 
about fifty hours there is a dense 
growth of a velvety appearance. At 
this stage the mass is taken out of 
the growing room and allowed to 
cool to ordinary temperature. It is 
now put into a percolator and cold 
water passed through it. The dias- 
tase generated in the mass is dis- 
solved in water and comes out in the 
extract. This extract is used in the 
place of malt in distilleries, brewer- 
ies, or vinegar factories. The ex- 
tract, when desired for preservation 
or transportation, is evaporated in a 
vacuum pan to a syrupy consistency. 
In t?his condition its diastasic power 
is about ten times stronger than a 
malt extract of similar consistency, 
and can be used in many industries 
in place of malt. This aqueous ex- 
tract can be still further purified by 
precipitating the diastasic principle 
of the extract by the addition of al- 
cohol. For this purpose, the extract, 
containing 10 to 20 per cent, of solid 
matter, is mixed with four or five 
times its own volume of strong alco- 
hol. By this means the diastase, 
with some other albuminoids, is pre- cipitated, while the sugars and other 
impurities remain in solution. The 
precipitate is now separated from the 
mother liquor by decantation and 
centrifugal force. It is then pressed 
and dried. The product thus obtained 
is a yellowish-white, odorless powder, 
possessing a nutty taste. It has a re- 
markably strong diastasic power. It 
will digest three hundred times its 
own weight of dried starch in thirty 
minutes according to the modified 
Junk’s test, or it will digest two to 
three thousand times its own weight 
of cooked starchy food, such as bread, 
potato, pudding, etc., inside of 
thirty minutes. It can still be fur- 
ther purified by precipitation or 
otherwise, but it is strong enough for 
all practical purposes. The product 
thus obtained I take the privilege of 
calling “Taka-Diastase,” in order to 
distinguish it from other diastases. 
“Taka” signifies “strong” in the Greek 
language, and “high”in the Japanese, 
and is also the first half of my name. 
9 
The diastasic power of Taka-Dias- 
tase is remarkably stable, and this 
property can be utilized as a stand- 
ard of comparison between other 
preparations in the determination of the diastasic power of other sub- 
stances. 
Its use as a remedy for amylaceous 
dyspepsia is of no mean importance. 
Considering the fact that more than 
two-thirds of our food consists of 
starchy substances such as potato,, 
bread, pudding, etc., and also that 
the diastase of the saliva has to per- 
form the principal function in the 
digestion of starchy food, and that 
the saliva is subjected to loss and de- 
terioration of its diastasic power 
from various causes, such as smoking, 
drinking, chewing, and rapid eating, 
it is not to be wondered at that two- 
thirds of the dyspepsia is of a starchy 
origin, and therefore, it is apparent 
that some kind of strong diastasic 
substance must supply the deficiency. 
The object of my address this 
evening is primarily to draw your 
attention to the fact that the ad- 
vance of Japan is due directly to the 
influence of medical science in that 
country, and, secondly, to show that 
this method of producing diastase 
and other digestive ferments from 
fungi growths seems to open entirely 
new fields for the investigation of 
useful ferments, I firmly believe,: 11 
that this method of producing dias- 
tase will not only supersede every- 
known process, such as the germina- 
tion of cereals, etc., but will also lead- 
to the production of several other 
digestive ferments, such as those di- 
gesting albuminoids and fatty foods. 
DISCUSSIONS. 
Dr. Joseph H. Hunt:—l wish 
express my appreciation of the ad- 
dress that Dr. Takamine has deliv- 
ered to us this evening. It has been 
a source of great pleasure, as well as 
instruction. For many years I have 
used very little pepsin, almost none. 
I have recently used Diastase in sev- 
eral cases and generally with great 
success. Although my cases have 
not always been well selected, Dias- 
tase has done well in my hands. 
I, myself, am very fond of a good 
dinner and frequently the result is 
an uncomfortable distention of the 
abdomen, borborygmus, in fact the 
general symptoms of indigestion. 
Some time ago I commenced a course 
of treatment with Taka-Diastase, 
taking a capsule after dinner, and I 
was very much improved. As is 
usual in all cases when improvement 12 
begins, I neglected myself and dis- 
continued the remedy. My reward 
was a return of the old trouble, to be 
again relieved by the Taka-Diastase. 
The following case is an interest- 
ing one: A patient came to me one 
morning from Danville, Va., with 
great distress, saying that he must 
have immediate relief. He had been 
treated for a year or more for indi- 
gestion, but with no benefit. He 
said he had not been able to eat any- 
thing for months. His distress was 
very intense; he was almost a luna- 
tic. I gave him some capsules of 
Taka-Diastase at that time with 
almost immediate relief. Then I 
settled down to treating him scienti- 
fically. He was given a test break- 
fast and the stomach was washed 
out an hour afterward. The mixture 
was then subjected to a careful analy- 
sis and it was found to contain an 
excess of hydrochloric acid, mucus, 
blood cells and epithelium casts. 
The diagnosis of ulceration of the 
stomach was made. The patient 
was then treated with rest and Taka- 
Diastase. The final result was a 
complete and perfect cure. He re- 
turned to Danville and resumed his former occupation as a machinist. 
His delight and gratitude were be- 
yond expression. 
The physiological chemist is cer- 
tainly a great aid to the physician; 
and inventive chemists, like Dr. Tak- 
amine, are doing important work for 
the medical profession. We, as active 
practitioners, are too busy to give the 
proper attention to the chemistry of 
our profession, hence the necessity 
for such scientific investigators as 
Dr. Takamine. They spend their 
life in this class of work, and we, as 
physicians, are greatly benefited by 
the results of their labors. 
Dr. A. H, Brundage:—We must 
recognize that such a digestive agent 
as this Taka-Diastase has a certain 
degree of importance and value when 
it will do such work as it has been 
shown this will do. 
We have been called a nation of 
dyspeptics, and unquestionably there 
is a certain amount of truth in the 
appellation. Those who suffer the 
pains, annoyances and trials of dys- 
pepsia know how unfortunate is the 
condition which deserves the name, 
and how grateful is the relief. The scientific man who adds his 
•quota to the list of remedies for the 
affection confers a boon upon man- 
kind, and deserves recognition and 
appreciation. From observation, 
some personal experiences, and cer- 
tain information which has come to 
me regarding the workings of this 
digestive agent, I am impressed with 
its value, and am grateful to the 
author for his discovery and for the 
paper and demonstrations he has 
favored us with this evening. 
14