62 



MECHANISM OF DISINFECTION AND HEMOLYSIS 



If erythrocytes are suspended in an indifferent medium and sub- 

 jected to a brief radiation from a mercury vapor arc in quartz, or 

 if they are suspended in an appropriate dilution of serum acting in 

 conjunction with a specific antibody, there ensues a gradual liberation 

 of hemoglobin. In both cases this process begins at a rather slow 

 rate which gradually increases, passes through a maximum, and then 

 gradually falls off until it becomes comparable with the rate of spon- 

 taneous laking. (See Table I.) 



TABLE I. 



Observed Course of Hemolysis; 100 Per Cent Signifies Completioi. 



Plotting as ordinates the amount of hemoglobin liberated, and as 

 abscissa? the times of sampling, one obtains asymmetrical sigmoid 

 curves such as those shown in Fig. 1. The gradual retardation and 

 final apparent equilibrium is either due to exhaustion or inactivation 

 of the lytic agent, or if the concentration of the lytic agent (photo- 

 product or serum) is increased above that necessary to produce com- 

 plete hemolysis in a few hours, the process ceases because of the ex- 



