278 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



[Camhridge], 11 (1011), No. 2, pp. 208-219).— An the esUmation of the amount 

 of immune-body necessary to produce lysis at different periods does not give 

 any information as regards qualitative changes undergone by the molecules of 

 the immune-body during the course of immunization, the authors to investigate 

 the subject have chosen an immune-body obtained by injecting washed ox-blood 

 corpuscles into the peritoneal cavity of rabbits. 



As a result of the work they found that " the hemolytic immune-body which 

 is developed shows qualitative differences at different stages of immunization. 

 The immune-body molecules which appear in the serum in the early stage of 

 immunization (e. g., 4 to 8 days after a single injection, of 2 to 4 cc. of red 

 blood corpuscles) are deficient in the power of causing absorption of comple- 

 ment when added to the corresponding blood corpuscles. This is most clearly 

 brought out by the very slight increase in complement absorbed under the influ- 

 ence of multiple doses of immune-body as compared with the amount absorbed 

 by 1 dose. The deficient complement absorption does not depend to any 

 marked degree on deficient combination of immune-body with the receptors of 

 the red corpuscles. When, after repeated injections of blood corpuscles, im- 

 munization has been carried to such a stage that an immune-body is produced 

 which is very active in causing absorption of complement, then it is found that 

 on ceasing to give further injections the relative complement-combining power 

 remains high after the immune-body content of the serum as measured by the 

 hemolytic dose has fallen to a very considerable extent. So far as [the au- 

 thors] are aware the occurrence of such alterations in the properties of immune- 

 body during the process of immunization has not Jiitherto been noted." 



In regard to the action of exudate leucocytes on antibody formation, 

 O. Stenstrom {Ztschr. Immunitdtsf. u. Expt. Ther., I, Orig., S {1911), No. 4, 

 pp. 483-497). — It appears from this work that the presence of polymorphonu- 

 clear leucocytes at the site of inoculation somewhat prevents the formation 

 of agglutinins and possibly of bacteriolysins. Precipitin formation was not 

 reduced, but on the contrary seemed to be increased. The white blood cells, 

 therefore, can not be considered factors in these processes. 



Histological-chemical detection of peroxidase, R. Fischel (Wiener Klin. 

 Wchnschr., 23 (1910), No. 44, PP- 1557, 1558; ahs. in Chem. Zentbl., 1910, II, 

 No. 25, p. 1837; Anahjst, 36 (1911), No. 419, p. 75).— If pus or bone marrow 

 (myelocytes) is dried upon a glass slide and treated with a 2 per cent solution 

 of sodium benzidinemonosulphonate solution (containing 0.01 cc. of a 0.3 per 

 cent solution of hydrogen peroxid) a blue coloration is obtained, the leucocytes 

 being colored blue. Red blood corpuscles also give the same reaction, but 0.5 

 cc. of hydrogen peroxid is necessary. As leucocytes give no reaction when 

 heated to a tempei'ature of 100° C, the method may serve as a distinguishing 

 test between leucocytes and erythrocytes. 



The biological detection of latent pus accumulations, E. Tedeschi (Ann, 

 I.ft. Maragliano, 3 (1910), pp. 1-8; abs. in Ztschr. Immunitdtsf. u. Expt. Tlier., 

 II, Ref., 2 (1910), No. 12, p. 247). — ^.4. simple precipitation method is described 

 for detecting latent pus accumulations in the body. The reaction is based on 

 the premises that the resorption products from pus accumulations are capable 

 of producing antibodies in the blood stream. 



The poisonous effects of the black bean (Castanospermum australe) on 

 cattle, S. T. D. Symons (Agr. Gas. N. 8. Wales, 22 (1911), No. 3, pp. 196-198, 

 fig. 1). — Deaths among cattle in the North Coast district of New South Wales 

 have been frequently reported as the result of eating the beans of C. australe 

 (black bean tree, or Moreton Bay chestnut). The bean on ingestion causes an 

 Intense gastrointestinal irritation which results in a severe diarrhea and which 



