68 



REACTION OF CELLS 



Action of Coli-agglutinin during io Minutes at 

 different temperatures. 



The experiments and the calculations are carried 

 out by Madsen in the same manner as those for the 

 action of temperature on the velocity of reaction of 

 haemolysins ; /ju is put equal to 30,000. 



For typhoid-agglutinin (10 minutes' action) 

 Madsen and Walbum found a value of fi = 37,200, i.e. 

 of the same order of magnitude as for coli-agglutinin 

 but 24 per cent higher. 



Generally speaking, we may say that the action of 

 agglutinins on bacteria proceeds very nearly in the 

 same manner as that of haemolysins on red blood- 

 corpuscles. 



A certain similarity to this investigation is ex- 

 hibited by the disinfecting action, practically so im- 

 portant, of certain poisons or hot water on bacteria, 

 which are thereby killed. Kronig and Paul in 

 1897 investigated the disinfecting action of different 

 mercuric salts on anthrax bacilli and found that the 

 chief acting substance is probably the mercuric ion, 

 for the different salts at the same concentration were 

 effective according to their degree of electrolytic 



