The biochemistry of dry-rot in wood

IT was shown by us in a previous communication [1929] that, contrary to the usually accepted view, the action of Merulius lachrymans (the fungus respon- sible for dry-rot) on wood was to destroy the. major part of the cellulose fraction of the lignocellulose complex and to leave the lignin component unaffected. It was found that the so-called hemicelluloses, which are present in woody tissues, were also resistant to fungal attack, whereas the hexosans, mannan and galactan were completely destroyed.