528 



COLLECTED STUDIES IN IMMUNITY 



lutely incorrect, and that they contradict all that is thus far known 

 concerning solution of the red blood-cells. Gruber states that in 

 a 1/10 isotonic solution, one containing about 0.07% Nad, about 

 one-fifth of the blood-cells remain undissolved. All other authors, 

 however, have found that even in a solution of 0.3% NaCl, the 

 blood-cells of all warm-blooded animals are still completely dis- 

 solved, so that the solution appears uniformly laky, and microscopical 

 examination shows not even a trace of red-blood corpuscles. In 

 Cruber's spectrum, however, we find that with this percentage more 

 than half of the blood-cells remain undissolved. This indicates 

 that in Gruber's experiments the grossest sort of errors abound. 



With Salt 



Decrease of 

 Haraolyse ia Percent 



30 r 



With Sugar 



Decrease of 

 Hamolyse ia Percent 



" 



20 



15 



10 











Isotonicity 



Isotonicity 



FIG. 1. "Poison spectrum " of water according to Gruber. 



What can we deduce from these spectra? The fact that a cer- 

 tain amount of NaCl can be added to the " poisonous " water with- 

 out inhibiting haemolysis, would lead authors holding Gruber's views 

 to conclude that this " poisonous " water contains a prototoxoid 

 whose neutralization has no effect whatever on the toxic action. 

 A single glance at the detailed literature on this subject should, how- 

 ever, have convinced these authors that their curve, as such, has 

 nothing whatever to do with toxic actions, but is merely the expres- 

 sion of the specific differences in the red blood-cells. It is well known 



