1!)11] on, Physkal Ghemistry <mtl the Doctrine of InimnnUij. 221) 



to alexin. In this special point he was not successful ; but regarding 

 the real immune-bodies and alexins his opinion was right. If we 

 take a certain small quantity of alexin and add it to a given quantity 

 of red blood-corpuscles, we do not attain complete hemolysis, even 

 with very large quantities of immune-body. And, vice versa, if the 

 quantity of immune-body is small, we shall not have complete 

 hemolysis even with very great (juautities of alexin. (It may here be 

 said that the guinea-pig serum in itself contains a small part of hemo- 

 lysin, so that it is necessary to correct for the action of this (quantity.) 

 This indicates that a hemolytic compound is formed from the alexin 

 and the immune-body ; and if one of these is not present in sufficient 

 quantity, then even the quantity of hemolysin will be insufficient, 

 for it cannot exceed the quantity equivalent to the quantity present 

 of that of the two components which is present in the least quantity. 



1 have investigated a considerable number of cases, varying the 

 quantity of alexin and of immune-body, and have found that the 

 quantity of hemolysin formed, as compared with the quantities of 

 immune-body and of alexin, is subject to the law of chemical equi- 

 librium. The results of the experiments could always be calculated in 

 this way, so that there is no doubt that the hemolysin is an additional 

 product of the alexin and the immune-body, and that these three 

 substances are in equilibrium with each other. This equilibrium, so 

 far as regards the hemolytic action, takes place in the interior of the 

 blood-corpuscles. 



As an instance of how well the law of chemical equilibrium agrees 

 with the experiments regarding the production of hemolysin from 

 immune-body and alexin, I give the following figures representing the 

 degree of hemolysis produced on blood-corpuscles from an ox by a mix- 

 ture of heated immune-serum («) from a goat, injected with blood- 

 corpuscles from the ox, and the alexin {b) of normal guinea-pig serum. 

 The quantities a and b are expressed in cubic millimetres of the two sera. 

 The figures given in brackets are calculated from the formula : — 

 (5a - x) (206 - x)^ 90a;. 



X is the quantity of hemolysin. The degree of hemolysis is pro- 

 portional to the square of the quantity of hemolysin. If the 

 calculus gives a higher degree of hemolysis than 100, it corresponds 

 to total hemolysis and is represented in the table by the figure 100, 

 which is the highest possible degree of hemolysis (expressed in 

 per cent.). 



With small quantities («) of immune-body even the tenfold 

 quantity {b) of that quantity of alexin which is sufficient to produce 

 total hemolysis does not give enough hemolysin to yield a hemolysis 

 of more than about 40 per cent. The same is valid for the immune- 

 body. If the quantity of alexin is very small, 0"6, we obtain not 

 more than about 15 per cent, of hemolysis. The added quantity 

 («) of immune-body may be as great as may be desired. 



