28 The Cytotoxins of Blood Serum 



the germs of plague, typhoid, anthrax, rouget du pore, and with Proteus vulgaris. 

 Immune-bodies were found in the serum of tyi)hoid convalescents. 



The occurrence of substances corresi)onding to immune-bodies in normal sera 

 has been denied, although Malvoz (25, viii. 1902) has found normal adult dog 

 serum to act like immime-serum towards B. anthracis, that is, when inactivated 

 by heat its "immune-body" combined with the bacilli, and rendered them susceptible 

 to the bactericidal action of the complement in the serum of other animals, such as 

 the rabbit, guinea-pig and rat. It is worthy of note in this connection, that the 

 adult dog is most refractory to anthrax infection. The immune-body is absent in 

 young dogs, as also in the guinea-pig, ox, and rat, all of which are susceptible, 

 wdiereas it may or may not be present in the relatively resistant rabbit. 



The rapid decomposition of bodies of animals which have died from the effects of 

 snake venom is due to the loss of bactericidal power of the blood, as has been 

 shown by Welch and Ewiug, and by Flexner and Noguchi (1902), the venom 

 combining with the serum complement of bacteriolytic serum. Antivenin (Calmette) 

 neutralized both the bacteriolytic and haemolytic action of venom in vitro. 



Eisenberg (v. 1902) cites Kraus and Clairmont as finding that heated bacteria are 

 not dissolved, although, as Bail and Wilde found, they are capable of absorbing the 

 bacteriolysiu. 



Bacterial Haemolysins. 



The bacterial haemolysins have received a considerable amount of attention. 

 Ehrlich showed that tetanus toxin is haemolytic, Madsen finding that it contained 

 a toxin which produced convulsions, a tetanospasmin, as distinguished from the 

 tetanolysin. Kraus and Clairmont (17, x. 1901) found tetanus toxin, as also the 

 products oi Staphylococcus pyogenes. Streptococcus, Vibrios, and putrefactive bacteria, 

 to be haemolytic. Xeisser and Wechsberg, as also Bulloch and Hunter, have 

 studied the haemolytic action of Bacillus pyocyaneus and of the Staphylococcus ; 

 Levy, Castellani, and Lubenau of B. typhosus, B. dysenteriae, and Micrococcus 

 tetragenus. Madsen found tetanolysin very unstable ; Kraus and Clairmont found 

 the haemolysin to be destroyed after 15 minutes' exposure at 60° C. Neisser and 

 Wechsberg fomid staphylolysin to be injured at 48°, and destroyed at 58° C. in 

 20 minutes. That the bacteriohaemolysins possess a constitution similar to toxins 

 was indicated by Ehrlich and ]\Iadsen, who found that they could neutralize them by 

 means of anti -haemolysin. They moreover found that normal horse seruna possessed 

 anti-haemolytic action. They were imable to establish any relation between the 

 antitoxic value of a serum and its haemolytic power. The conclusion reached as 

 the result of comparative experiments is that the bacterio-haemolysins and anti- 

 bacterio-haemolysins are specific in character. 



The Complement. 



As I have stated elsewhere, cytolytic sera are inactivated by being heated 

 to 55° C, this being due to the destruction of the comi)lement. A normal serum 

 thus treated cannot be reactivated, whereas an imnuuic-serum can. The ferment- 



