CHEMICAL EQUILIBRIA 133 



In the last example with rabbit serum acting on 

 ox erythrocytes we find that the quantity of ambo- 

 ceptor enters in the formula to the power f . This 

 is probably due to the so-called diversion of the 

 complement, which is observed by myself just for 

 this special combination. With an excess of ambo- 

 ceptor this binds the complement so strongly in the 

 solution that a very small fraction of it remains in a 

 free state. Therefore the diffusion of complement 

 into the amboceptor-loaded erythrocytes goes on 

 very slowly, and the reaction does not reach its end 

 during the time of action. It is only the haemolysin 

 contained in the blood-corpuscles themselves which 

 acts haemolytically. The retardation increases with 

 the quantity a and makes itself apparent in diminish- 

 ing the power to which the term containing a enters 

 in the formula. It is therefore quite possible that 

 this power ought to be i if the said disturbance did 

 not take place. 



Great interest was evoked by the discovery that 

 cobra poison, which is only slightly haemolytic, is 

 activated in a very high degree by the presence of 

 lecithin. The lecithin was regarded as a complement 

 in this special case. When* I investigated this case 

 I found that the observations were expressed by the 

 following formula 



A certain quantity of lecithin (/,), namely 0-015 

 cubic millimetres, was necessary before any haemolytic 

 action was observed, but neither the cobra poison, 



