THE PHYSIOLOGY OF POISONING 213 
have shown that venoms do not hydrolyse either starch or inulin. 
Cobra-venom and that of Vipera change saccharose very slightly. 
They do not modify the glucosides (amygdalin, coniferin, salicin, 
arbutin, and digitalin) ; they therefore do not contain emulsin. 
On the other hand, these venoms possess, as I have already 
stated, very interesting kinasic properties, which have been pointed 
out by Delezenne.' They consist in the fact that while venom 
alone is incapable of digesting cooked albumin, we have only to 
add to a pancreatic juice, in itself devoid of effect upon albumin, 
a trace of venom, to see this albumin immediately become digested. 
Lachesis-venom is especially active in this respect. In Dele- 
zenne’s experiments it was generally sufficient to add to 1 c.c. of 
inactive pancreatic juice, 0°5 to 1 c.c. of a 1 in 1,000 solution, that 
is 0°5 to 1 milligramme of venom, to obtain the digestion of a cube 
of albumin weighing 0°5 gramme in the space of from ten to twelve 
hours. Much weaker doses, 1, 34, sometimes even 2, of a milli- 
gramme still gave the same result, with this sole difference that 
digestion took twenty-four, forty-eight, and even seventy-two hours 
to become complete. 
Cobra-venom was found to be a little less active than the fore- 
going, but still its action was usually evident enough when it was 
employed in a dose of 0°5 milligramme or even 0:1 milligramme. 
As for the venom of Vipera berus, it was often necessary to employ 
it in doses from five to ten times stronger in order to obtain the 
same result. 
Delezenne has ascertained, on the other hand, that these venoms 
entirely lose their kinasic power when they are subjected to ebulli- 
tion for fifteen minutes. 
This kinase or diastase, capable of quickening the inert pan- 
creatic juice, must evidently be of very great utility to the 
reptile in enabling it to digest its prey. Venom, therefore, is not, 
as has long been believed, a purely defensive secretion ; it corre- 
sponds to a physiological necessity, like that of the intestinal or 
' Comptes rendus de l'Académie des Sciences, August 11, 1902. 
