HYPOTHERMIA AND BACTERIAL TOXINS 



Number of group 



1. 



2. 



3. 



^, 



Comparison 1.-2.: D = 37. t = 4.8 P< 0.001 



2.-4.: D = 30. t = 2.7 0.05>P>0.02 



Figure 4. Survival times in hours of mice given one neutralizing dose of antitoxin 

 serum 4 versus 10 hours after the tetanus toxin injection. Start of hypothermia 1-2 

 hours after the toxin injection, warming up immediately after the injection of anti- 

 toxin. (5 normothermic mice, 3 hypothermic for 3 hours, and 3 hypothermic for 9 

 hours, all receiving antitoxin after 15 min., survived). 



pretreatment only were run. The toxin injection was always made 

 after the start of hypothermia. The experiments differed slightly 

 as to the period of h3T30thermia preceding the toxin injection 

 and the dose of toxin, but hypothermia was always maintained 

 to the end of the experiments. The results are given in Fig. 5. 



Thus, in all groups, the average survival was longer in hypo- 

 thermic mice. The differences within the groups were significant, 

 and if all the material is taken together, they were even more 

 significant. It was next attempted to study the influence of hypo- 

 thermia on the time during which staphylococcal toxin could 

 be neutralized by antitoxin to a degree sufficient to save the 

 mice or at least prolong their survival in a manner similar to 



141 



