VETEEINARY MEDICINE. 779 



The authors were unable to note an earlier formation of precipitins than 

 agglutinins. Nor were they able to note that the serum of a rabbit which had 

 been infected for 24 hours contained only agglutinogen (E. S. R., 23, p. 584). 



The quantitative chang'es in the protein in the blood plasma of horses in 

 the course of immunization, R. B. Gibson and E. J. Banzhaf (Jour. Expt. 

 Med., 12 {1910), No. 3, pp. 411-434; ads. in Zentbl. Bioohem. u. Blophys., 10 

 (1910), No. 15-16, pp. 720, 721).— The authors determined the various protein 

 fractions in the oxalate plasma from 11 horses during the course of immuniza- 

 tion. 



An experimental study of opsonic immunity to Staphylococcus aureus, 

 J. C. Meakins {Jour. Expt. Med., 12 {1910), No. 1, pp. 67-81, charts 3; ahs. in 

 ZentU. Oesam. Physiol, u. Path. Stoffwechsels, n. ser., 5 {1910), No. 19, p. 759). — 

 Injecting killed cultures of ;Sf. aureus into rabbits yields an opsonic immunity 

 of high degree, which protects against living virulent stapbylococci. This pro- 

 tection is in direct proportion to the amount of opsonins present in the serum. 

 Repeating the injection very often diminishes its opsonic capacity. These op- 

 sonins are very active toward homologous strains but only slightly, so toward 

 the heterologous strains. 



In regard to complement binding in helminthiasis and the chemical na- 

 ture of the tapeworm antig'en, K. Meyer (Ztschr. Immunitdtsf. ii. Expt. Ther., 

 I, Grig., 7 {1910), No. 6, pp. 732-747).— The results show that aqueous and 

 alcoholic tapeworm extracts give a complement binding reaction. These same 

 complement binding antibodies can be produced by immimiziug rabbits against 

 tapeworm extracts. On the other hand, the complement binding reaction is 

 very often negative with echinococcus extracts. By immunizing rabbits with 

 echinococcus extracts, antibodies can be produced which act only slightly, or 

 not at all, with cystic fluid ; this is not the case with man. 

 _ Complement binding antibodies are not specie specific, but rather genus 

 specific. The active antigen of the tapeworm extract is not a proteid body but 

 a lecithin-like lipoid. It does not yield a protein reaction and is not attacked 

 by pepsin and tryi)sin. It is soluble in ether, alcohol, and benzol, but is insolu- 

 ble in acetone and is decomposed by lipase. 



A chemical study of Sclerostomum equinum, T. Bondouy {Arch. Par., 14 

 (1910), No. 1, pp. 5-39). — This is a biochemical study of the parasite S. 

 equinum. 



From the results it is seen that this organism contains fats, fatty acids con- 

 sisting chiefly of butyric acid, soaps, mucin, albumoses, purin bases and creatin, 

 a ptomaine, a crystallizable alkaloid, an amino acid, and an amorphous sub- 

 stance containing nonprotein nitrogen and phosphorus which gives the pre- 

 cipitating reactions for an alkaloid. The cuticle of this parasite was also found 

 to contain a unique protein combination which has no relation to chitin. 



Contrary to the findings of Weinberg,'' an alcoholic extract of the parasite was 

 found to possess a strong hemolytic power. The soaps, fatty acids, crystal- 

 lizable alkaloids, and ptomaines were active in the hemolytic pi'ocess. The 

 parasite further secretes a lipase which is capable of dig'esting the fat con- 

 tained in horse serum. This lipase, according to the author, plays an active 

 role in hemolysis. The bilirubin of horse serum is changed by the cellular 

 activity of the parasite. 



The specific meiostagmin reaction, M. Ascoli (MUnchen. Med. Wchnschr., 

 57 (1910), No. 2, pp. 62, 63; abs. in Hyg. Rundschau, 21 (1911), No. 1, p. 24).— 

 This is a physical-chemical reaction, and is used by the author to determine 



"Ann. Inst. Pasteur, 21 (1907), No. 10, pp. 798-807; Compt. Rend. Soc. Biol. 

 [Paris], 63 (1907), No. 24, pp. 13-15. 



