ANTIBODIES TO PNEUMOCOCCUS 383 



the hemolytically inactive hemotoxin present in oxidized solutions 

 as well as with the active hemotoxin. The antibody appeared to be 

 a species-specific antihemotoxin neutralizing the hemotoxin from 

 all types of pneumococci, since it was without effect on the hemo- 

 toxins of tetanus and Welch bacilli. Neill with Fleming and Gas- 

 pari determined that for the production of antihemotoxin in the 

 rabbit or horse it was essential that the hemotoxic antigen be used 

 in an unheated condition. 



A similar antihemotoxic serum was developed by Cotoni and 

 Chambrin (1928) 282 in rabbits, sheep, and horses after immuniz- 

 ing the animals with living cultures, extracts of living and dried 

 pneumococci, as well as with dried organisms killed by alcohol and 

 ether. The antihemotoxin was stable after heating for one-half 

 hour and, as Neill 950 found, was devoid of type-specificity but pos- 

 sessed species-specificity, because when tested against the hemo- 

 lysins of streptococci, tetanus bacilli, septic vibrios, and Bacillus 

 perfringens, the serum displayed no neutralizing action. Doubt 

 was cast on the species-specificity of antihemotoxins by Todd 

 (1934-), 1412 who apparently was able to neutralize, to a limited ex- 

 tent, the hemolysins of Type II and Type III pneumococci with 

 antistreptolytic serum. The degree of neutralization was not neces- 

 sarily correlated with the antistreptolytic titer, and the different 

 hemolysins could be distinguished by quantitative serological 

 methods. The partial antigenic overlapping of hemolysins could 

 only be demonstrated by the use of hyperimmune serum. 



Antitoxin 



Boehncke and Mouriz-Riesgo (1915), 134 notwithstanding the 

 fact that they were never able to obtain any very active pneumo- 

 coccal toxin, believed that the curative action of some of the im- 

 mune serum prepared by them was due to its antitoxic qualities. 

 Olson (1926) 102930 claimed that it was possible to immunize mice 

 by serial injections of pneumococcal toxin prepared by allowing 

 sodium ricinoleate to act on pneumococci, but the author pre- 



