June 3, 1918 



Destruction of Tetanus Antitoxin 



485 



bottles (clean and sterile) having a capacity of about 50 c. c, heio-ht 

 50 mm., diameter 40 mm. These serve as excellent containers. Thus 

 when two guinea pigs were to be injected with similar doses, three 

 doses were prepared by mixing 3 c. c. of toxin solution and 3 c. c. of 

 diluted antitoxin mixture. After standing for one hour in diffuse 

 sunlight at room temperature the doses were injected, 2 c. c. into one 

 guinea pig. 



In the following tables (V-VI) the results of two typical inoculation 

 tests are detailed. Although the tests closed at the expiration of 96 

 hours after inoculation, the guinea pigs were always kept under obser- 

 vation for an additional 96 hours. The time of death is recorded in 

 the tables; when no such time is recorded, it means that the animals 

 receiving that particular dose were alive seven or eight days after inocu- 

 lation. Guinea pigs that died during the night, between 11 p. m. and 

 8 a. m., were recorded as haidng died at 8 a. m. Otherwise, dead guinea 

 pigs seldom remained in their cages for more than one hour. 



Table V. — Destruction of antitoxin by trypsin aizd sodium carbonate {experiment 5) 



Tetanus serum 374. Toxin F4. Digestion period, 18 days on day of injection. Total of 48 guinea pigs, 



in 16 groups of 3 on each dose] 



ANTITOXIN DESTROYED (pER CENT) 



91 



a 82 



coagulable protein digested past coagulablE stage (per cent) 



So 



" For the method of calculating these percentages see p. 481, 483, 487. 



