INTERACTIONS BETWEEN VENOM AND ANTIVENIN 



251 



The rise of the minimal hsemolyzing doses through the fractions of the 

 serum necessary for complete neutraHzation was as follows: 



Table 27. 



o.ooi gm. venom alone 0.000005 S^- 



+0.1 c.c. serum 0.000025 



+ 0.2 0.00005 



' +0.4 0.00008 



+0.6 0.00017 



+0.8 0.0005 



In another way the above results can be summarized as follows : 

 O.OOI gm, of venom contains 10,000 -=- 5 = 2,000 minimal haemolyzing 

 doses. With o.i c.c. of serum necessary for a complete neutraHzation it now 

 contains 10,000 -^ 25 = 400 minimal haemolyzing doses. If we arbitrarily 

 call the number of combining equivalents in 0.00 1 gm. of venom 130, the above 

 fraction neutrahzed 1,600 minimal hsemolyzing doses per 10 equivalents. On 

 the theory of simple neutraHzation we should have neutrahzed 2,000 h- 13 = 

 153 minimal hsemolyzing doses. Myers gives the following calculations: 



Table 28. 



It will be seen at once that the interaction of the cobralysin and its antilysin 

 is very different from that of a single neutralization, say of a strong acid by a 

 strong base. If we explain this reaction according to the toxoid theory of 

 Ehrhch, as was done by Myers, the results may be represented as in figure i. 



130 



