Study of the saccharogenic method for the determination of serum and urine amylase

on the actions of amyiases on starch is extensive, going back into the nineteenth century (1, 2). Only a few of these investigations have been concerned specifically with the cz-amylase activity of serum and urine. Methods for the determination of amylase in body fluids have included viscosimetric, turbidimetric, iodometric (amyloclastic), and saccharogenic technics. Probably the most widely employed sac-charogenic method has been that proposed by Somogyi in 1938 (3). This method, however, employs no buffer for pH control. Recently a modification of Somogyi’s method has been introduced (4) that d