VENOM HEMOLYSIS AND VENOM AGGLUTINATION 181 



easily grasped by the venom, while in others it is not at all available for venom 

 activation. Testing the antihasmolytic power of Calmette's antivenin, he 

 found that it neutralizes the action of the venoms of Bungarus ccEmleus, 

 Bungarus fasciatus, Naja haje, and Naja tripudians, but not at all that of the 

 venoms of Lachesis lanceolatus, Lachesis flavoviridis, Crotalus, and Vipera 

 russelUi. In the absence of serum or lecithin none of the venoms hsemolyzed 

 the bloods of sheep, ox, or rabbit, except that the last kind was dissolved by 

 Naja tripudians. The blood of man was not attacked by the venoms of 

 Lachesis lanceolatus, Lachesis anamalensis, and Crotalus, but by those of the 

 daboia, habu, kraits, and cobras. This article does not contain any sub- 

 stantial evidence that lecithin exists variously in different kinds of bloods. 



In 1904 Noguchi * pointed out that the haemolytic principles contained in 

 the venoms of cobra, rattlesnake, water- moccasin, and daboia are not identical, 

 so far as their affinities to specific antivenins are concerned. Although not 

 in a strict sense, the antivenin derived from an animal immunized against a 

 given venom shows a specific affinity to that venom. In these experiments he 

 employed the antivenin specific for cobra, crotalus, moccasin, and daboia. 



Lamb ^ (1905) took up the question of the mechanism of venom ha;molysis 

 and contributed many interesting facts. He employed ten different kinds 

 of venoms, comprising Naja tripudians, Naja bungarus, Bungarus ccBruleus, 

 Bungarus fasciatus, Notechis scutatus, and Enhydrina valakadien of the 

 ColubridcC, and Vipera russellii, Echis carinata, Lachesis gramineus, and 

 Crotalus adamanteus of the Viperidse. From the action of these venoms 

 upon the washed blood corpuscles of dog. Lamb divides the venoms into two 

 groups according as they have or have not haemolytic action on these cells 

 M^thout the addition of a free activating agent — lecithin or serum. The 

 first group contains cobra venom and daboia venom, which even in small 

 amount have a complete haemolyzing effect ; the venoms of Bungarus ccBruleus 

 and Echis carinata, which have also a complete haemolyzing action when used 

 in large quantity, and the venom of Notechis scutatus, which has only a slight 

 effect even in comparatively large amount. Group 2, namely, those venoms 

 which have no haemolytic action on the washed cells of dogs, consists of the 

 poisons of Naja bungarus, Bungarus fasciatus, Enhydrina valakadien, Lache- 

 sis gramineus, and Crotalus adamanteus. Testing their haemolytic value in 

 the presence of the serum of dog or an adequate amount of lecithin developed 

 that, except the venom of Enhydrina valakadien, all these venoms became 

 nearly equally haemolytic, notwithstanding slight variations may be noticed. 

 0.00001 gm. was about the average dose which could completely dissolve 

 I c.c. of 5 per cent suspension of the washed dog corpuscles (in 0.85 per cent 

 salt solution) in i hour at 37° C. and over night in the ice-chest, when 0.5 c.c. 

 of twofold dilution of dog's serum was added simultaneously. The enhy- 

 drina venom never completed haemolysis even in a dose of 5 mg. in the same 



> Noguchi. Experiences therapeutiques avec les antivenins (^Crotalus adamanteus et Ancistrodon 



piscivorus). 1904. 

 ' Lamb. Snake venoms in relation to haemolysis. Sc. Mem. Off. Med. and San. Dept. Governm. 



India, 1905, new series, No. 17. 



