时至今日化学家们认为酶当然是蛋白质。然而,这种概念在差不多50年前曾是发生在科学家们中那场旷日持久的争论(达十年之久)的焦点。1926年,詹姆斯·萨姆纳(James Sumner)——一位在当时还鲜为人知的美国化学家,声称分离出一种结晶态形式的酶,自称这种酶是一种蛋白质。他的这项工作曾遭到怀疑、忠告甚至敌意的反对。本文调查了萨姆纳的这一研究工作,他的主要敌手以及有关那场争论最终消声匿迹的来龙去脉。 Chemists nowadays think the enzyme is, of course, a protein. However, this notion was the focus of a protracted debate (for over a decade) among scientists that took place almost 50 years ago. In 1926, James Sumner, a little-known American chemist at the time, claimed to separate an enzyme in crystalline form, claiming that the enzyme is a protein. His work has been questioned, counseled and even hostile opposition. This article investigates Sumner’s work on this subject, his main rival, and the ins and outs of the argument that eventually vanished.