BACTERIOPHAGE AS AN ANTIGEN 



387 



antiserum. Table 45, taken from Prausnitz, illustrates the effect of an 

 antiserum for a Flexner-bacteriophage upon the homologous bacterio- 

 phage. The figures refer to the number of corpuscles in 0.001 cc, 

 based upon counts made by plaque determinations. 



In his discussion Prausnitz calls attention to the inequality in resist- 

 ance of the different corpuscles present in a single suspension, a fact 

 which is in agreement with what we know of the behavior of Hving 

 beings. He also points out as worthy of comment the slowness with 

 which the corpuscles are inactivated. 



4. VARIABILITY IN THE BEHAVIOR OF THE BACTERIOPHAGE 



When we undertake to consider this phase of the subject we are 

 immediately confronted by experimental results which are absolutely 



contradictory, and which, superficially at least, leave the subject in 

 the utmost confusion. Let us consider these results in the order 

 of their publication. 



Otto, Munter and Winkler'^^'^ report the following experiments. 



A. A rabbit received 11 injections, at 8-day intervals, of a bacterio- 

 phage, race K, whose virulences were 



with B. dysenteriae Shiga bacteriophagy at 1 • 10~^ 

 with B. dysenteriae Flexner bacteriophagy at 1 • 10~^ 

 with B. dysenteriae Hiss bacteriophagy at 1 • 10~^ 

 with B. typhosus bacteriophagy at 1 • 10~^ 



The serum of this animal was niLxed in equal parts with suspensions 

 of different races of the bacteriophage, and the bacteriophage-antiserum 



