THE INFLUENCE OF HELODERMA VENOM UPON 

 PHAGOCYTOSIS. 



By Lucius Tuttle. 



We have tested the influence of the venom of Heloderma upon the pro- 

 duction of a cellular exudate in the peritoneal cavity of the guinea-pig, upon 

 the phagocytosis of red corpuscles of the pigeon in the peritoneal cavity of a 

 guinea-pig, and also upon the phagocytosis of bacteria in vitro by the leuco- 

 cytes of the dog in vitro. 



The influence of venom upon the production of cellular exudate was 

 studied in the peritoneal cavity of 18 guinea-pigs. On the first day of the 

 experiment we injected sterile bouillon into the peritoneal cavity of the guinea- 

 pigs; on the following day, approximately 24 hours after the injection of the 

 bouillon, we injected into the peritoneal cavities of half of the guinea-pigs small 

 quantities of venom, usually 4 mg. pro kilo, of body-weight. The other guinea- 

 pigs received no injection on the second day, except in a few cases in which we 

 injected 0.85 per cent sodium-chloride solution. At different times, from 1 to 

 5 hours after the injection of the venom and 25 to 29 hours after the injection 

 of bouillon, the fluid was drawn from the peritoneal cavity, smears were made, 

 stained, and examined microscopically. 



We found the same characteristic exudate in all cases, both in those in 

 which venom had been injected and in those in which no venom was injected. 

 This peritoneal exudate was composed mostly of polymorphonuclear leuco- 

 cytes, with a few mononuclear leucocytes. The venom therefore seems to 

 exert no influence on the formation of cellular peritoneal exudate. 



In the next experiments we injected venom (4 mg. pro kilo.) and pigeon's 

 red corpuscles into the peritoneal cavities of guinea-pigs, making several injec- 

 tions before removing the peritoneal fluid for microscopic examinations. On 

 two or three successive days we injected venom, and each injection of venom 

 was immediately followed by an injection of defibrinated pigeon's blood. In 

 the majority of experiments we injected the venom and pigeon blood on two 

 successive days, and on the third day venom alone. At various periods from 1 

 to 24 hours after the last injection of venom, fluid was removed from the peri- 

 toneal cavity and examined microscopically. Control experiments were made 

 in which pigeon erythrocytes, but no venom, was injected. 



In studying the smears of the peritoneal fluid, we noted the number of 

 phagocytes containing pigeon-blood corpuscles, the number of pigeon erythro- 

 cytes lying free in the fluid, the number of guinea-pig erythrocytes, and the 

 amount of granular detritus. 



189 



