Hill, Pottevin and the reversibility of enzyme action

Before the turn of the century, the word catalysis was rarely used, but nevertheless the essentially degradative aspects of Berzelius s original description of the process had been questioned. As far as enzymes were concerned, there was some doubt as to whether their action was reversible and as to whether the reactions in which they took part obeyed the law of mass action. 

There is one report on the reversal of an enzymic (proteolytic) reaction dating back to 1886. Danilewski noticed that a heat-sensitive agent in stomach extracts would cause a concentrated peptic hydrolysate to coagulate. This reaction, whose product Sawjalow named plastein in 1901, was much studied between 1900 and 1925 (Wasteneys and Borsook, 1930). However, its chemistry remained poorly defined. 

Pottevin (1906) reviewed the evidence for the reversal of enzyme action without any reference to the plastein reaction (Table 1.5). While he accepted the strength of the evidence, he thought a test was needed in 

Glucose Isomaltose Yeast maltase Takadiastase Hill (1898) Emmerling (1901) 

Butyrate glycerol Butyrin Pancreatic extracts serolipase Hanriot (1901) 

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