274 BIOLOGY OF PNEUMOCOCCUS 



the selective absorption in the ultra-violet region was character- 

 istic of the pure substance. In conclusion, Wadsworth, Crowe, and 

 Smith stated, however, that the curves suggested that since their 

 preparations were not in a pure state, the more striking differences 

 in the curves might be attributable to substances not concerned in 

 serological or antigenic activity or in the production of purpura. 



TYPE VIII CARBOHYDRATE 



Brown 157 has published a description of a preparation of the 

 Type VIII carbohydrate isolated by the methods employed by 

 Wadsworth and Brown. She found that the soluble specific sub- 

 stance was best removed from the broth concentrates of Pneumo- 

 coccus by precipitation as the barium or calcium salt and by re- 

 peated alcoholic precipitation. On analysis one preparation gave a 

 nitrogen content of 0.19 per cent, phosphorus 0.06 per cent, ash 

 0.70 per cent, with 3.90 per cent moisture. The specific rotation 

 was about +126°, and while the substance before hydrolysis failed 

 to reduce Fehling's solution, after boiling for four hours with 10 

 per cent sulfuric acid, it yielded 69.5 per cent of reducing sugars 

 calculated as dextrose. 



This VIII carbohydrate in a dilution of 1 to 4,000,000 gave a 

 precipitate with Type VIII antiserum, and in a dilution of 1 to 

 2,000,000 with Type III serum. When Type VIII serum was ab- 

 sorbed with Type III soluble specific substance, it still precipitated 

 with Type VIII carbohydrate in the same dilution as before ab- 

 sorption ; but, when the same serum was absorbed with the homolo- 

 gous carbohydrate, it failed to precipitate with either. Also, Type 

 III SSS removed from Type III antiserum the precipitins for both 

 Types III and VIII polysaccharides, but Type VIII carbohy- 

 drate removed only the homologous precipitins. 



This new carbohydrate produced purpura in mice but its action 

 was partly neutralized by Types III and VIII antipneumococcic 

 rabbit serum and was intensified bv two similar antiserums from 



