TUNEVALL AND LINDNER 



normothermic mice. The ability of hypothermia to alter this relation 

 is not yet verified, but according to a first experiment, it seems 

 probable that it will be. 



SUMMARY 



In hypothermic mice with a body temperature of 22° C to 23° C 

 given lethal doses of tetanus toxin, the survival time was sig- 

 nificantly longer than in normothermic controls given a preparatory 

 (Hibernal- Nembutal) treatment but not chilled. Thetetanus was also 

 less pronounced in hypothermia, but increased at the rewarming 

 procedure. During or soon after rewarming, the animals died. 



The ability of antitoxin to prolong the survival in normothermic 

 mice varied with the interval between the injection of toxin and 

 antitoxin administration. When hypothermia was maintained during 

 part of this interval, the survival was significantly more prolonged, 

 and much more than corresponded to the length of the hypothermic 

 period. 



For several reasons, these results must be cautiously evaluated, 

 but they suggest that the fixation of toxin to susceptible cells is 

 retarded in hypothermia. 



In another series of experiments with staphylococcal toxin, 

 similar results were obtained. Hypothermia prolonged survival and 

 the neutralizing effect of antitoxin diminished when the toxin- anti- 

 toxin interval increased. That hypothermia may prolong the period 

 during which neutralization is possible is not yet known, but a first 

 experiment of a series to be continued in the future points in 

 this direction. 



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