VETERINARY SCIENCE AND PRACTICE. 1015 



substances in the animal sera. Tiie antibodies thus formed in animal sera do not 

 furnish relial)le means for the reco<;nition of the spoeies of spores. 



Immunization against immune serum, K. W. A. W.u,kek (,/oy/r. I'alh. and Bad., 

 8{1!>(L'), \(>. I, pp. 34-r>l). — Th(^ experiments reported in this paper were chiefly 

 concerned with the change induced in bacteria by their growth in immune serum, 

 and the change in the susceptibility of guinea pigs to specific infection due to pre- 

 vious treatment with increasing doses of serum. The immune serum used was the 

 antityphoid serum of Tavel. It was found (hiring the author's experiments that 

 bacteria may be immunized against their immune serum, and may thus l)e increased 

 in virulence, and become less readily agglutinable. An inniiune serum in whicli 

 the corresponding bacillus has been cultivated is thereby rendered less agglutinative 

 and less effective against the bacillus. It was also found that animals may be 

 immunized against immune sera. They are thereby rendered less capable of being 

 protected 1)y that serum, but their susceptibility to the bacterial organism is not 

 increased. Agglutinins are considered true antibodies. The immune body of the 

 same bacterial organism is held to be not identical in different animals, but exhibits 

 esjiecial characters for each species. 



Note on toxic and antitoxic action in vitro and in corpore, E. F. Bashford 

 {Jour. Path, and Bart., 8 {190'2), No. l,pp. 52-69). — The author's experiments on the 

 protective properties of sera were made largely with reference to the effect of these 

 sera upon corrosive sublimate, saponin, solanin, digitalin, snake venom, ricin, teta- 

 nolysin, etc. The experiments were conductetl in 2 series, one in vitro and the other 

 in experimental animals, and the results of the 2 series are compared. The author 

 combats the idea that there is any artificially increased protective action in vitro, of 

 the serum of animals immunized against any of these toxic agents, due merely to 

 increase in constituents normally present. The apparent similarity of the reactions 

 obtained in vitro and in experimental animals is briefly discussed by the author, 

 and it is suggested that the protective action of normal serum in vitro be called 

 pseudo-antitoxic in cases where the toxin is incapable of causing the pro(Uiction of 

 the corresponding antitoxin. 



Investigations concerning the protective and curative action of anthrax 

 serum obtained from the dog, F. Sanfelice {Cevthl. Baki. u. Par., I. Aid., 33 

 {190J), Xo. I, Orig., pp. 61-71). — While dogs have generally been considered as 

 nearly or quite immune to ordinary infection with anthrax, the author found during 

 numerous experiments that a certain number of dogs were readily infected, while 

 others proved to be quite immune. After repeatedly inoculating dogs with attenu- 

 ated cultures of anthrax at first and using cultures of greatly increasing virulence, it 

 was found possible to secure a serum from dogs treated in this way which would pro- 

 tect experimental animals against fatal infection with virulent cultures of anthrax. 



The destruction of toxins by peroxids and oxydases of animal and vege- 

 table origin, N. Sieber (Arch. Sci. Biol. \_St. l\'f('ri<lmrg'\, 9 {190J), Xo. 2, pp. 151- 

 170). — During the extensive investigations undertaken by the author on this subject 

 it was found that calcium dioxid and oxygenated water would destroy the toxins of 

 diphtheria and tetanus. Oxydases of animal and vegetable origin neutralize the 

 toxins of these diseases. The destructive action of oxydases toward toxins mani- 

 fests itself not only in vitro, but also in the body of the experimental animal, pro- 

 vided the mixture of the toxin and oxydase are injected subcutaneously. The 

 oxydases are capable of exercising their action on small doses of toxins, even when 

 these substances are injected into the animal at different points. It was found that 

 the destruction of toxin by emulsions containing oxydases takes place only when the 

 emulsions give the color reactions which would be characteristic for the oxydases. 



The bactericidal action of certain aromatic substances, II. Marx {Centbl. 

 Bakt. u. Par., 1. Alt., S3 (1902), Xo. 1, Orig., pp. 7^-76-).— Experiments were tried 

 to determine the effect of turpentine oil and nitrobenzol on anthrax bacillus and 



