190 VENOMOUS SNAKES AND THE PHENOMENA OF THEIR VENOMS 



Both sodium citrate and calcium chloride are very effective antihaemolytic 

 agents against venom. Substituting guinea-pigs' cells for ox corpuscles, the 

 result was the same. 



In the next series of experiments the concentrations of these two chemicals 



were gradually reduced, whereas 0.9 per cent solution of sodium chloride was 



used as diluent. 



Table ii. 



Mixture = Washed corpuscles of guinea-pig, i drop. 0.4 per cent 

 cobra-venom solution, 0.2 c.c. Fresh guinea-pig serum, 0.35 c.c. 



It is noteworthy that calcium chloride has a far stronger antihaemolytic 

 power than sodium citrate and seems to have no relation to the increase of 

 tonicity of the mixture. On the other hand, the concentration of sodium 

 citrate is quite above its isotonicity in effecting the antihaemolytic action of 

 this salt, which is isotonic at a concentration of about 1.76 per cent in the 

 case of guinea-pig corpuscles. 0.8 per cent solution of calcium chloride is 

 here isotonic. 



In a third series of experiments the comparative antihaemolytic powers of 

 these two chemicals were tested against different venom activators in the 

 presence of cobra venom. 



Table 12. 

 Washed corpuscles of ox, i drop. 0.4 per cent cobra- venom solution, 0.2 c.c. 



