VENOM H#®MOLYSIS AND VENOM AGGLUTINATION 169 
combining property of varying affinity. With this assumption Myers explained 
these results, and thought that cobra venom contains, besides real intact 
hemolysin, a number of toxoids, which are still able to unite with the anti- 
toxin, although their hemotoxophore side-chains are inert. In some instances 
he found that the first fraction of the serum neutralized somewhat less than 
the second. In these cases the presence of prototoxoids was assumed. In 
fact, according to this hypothesis, the neutralization of a given amount of 
cobralysin means the neutralization of toxin and toxoids (prototoxoid and 
deutotoxoid, but not the least reactive epitoxoid) ; and the amount of any one 
fraction of the antivenin to combine is always the same (only differing in the 
toxic expression), which is due to the toxin alone, but not to the toxically inert, 
antivenin-combining toxoids. At last, Myers tried to determine the reason 
for the fact that in a venom there can be present toxin and toxoids. He found 
that when a solution of cobra venom is placed at room temperature (still 
quicker at 37°C.) its hemolytic power becomes rapidly reduced. This 
reduction in hemolytic power was not followed by a parallel loss of its com- 
bining power with antivenin. In other words, hemolytic toxoids were formed 
in such solutions. 
THE NEW ERA OF THE STUDY OF VENOM HAMOLYSIS. 
Definite proofs of the existence of hemolytic and hemagglutinative sub- 
stances in different venoms in varying proportions have thus been amply 
brought about both in corpore and in vitro. In the last few years prior to 
1900, the investigations assumed a character of quantitative estimation of 
the hemolytic principles in various venoms and suggested their specificity 
as well as their insignificance in the lethal properties of these venoms. The 
estimate made of their action upon the blood corpuscles was, however, not 
understood at all. It was Flexner and Noguchi who for the first time found 
that the active principles of the venom require a second substance to mani- 
fest their solvent function upon the blood corpuscles, and this marks the 
opening of the new era of study of the hematoxic actions of the venom. 
In 1902 these investigators discovered that certain venoms do not dissolve 
the blood corpuscles from which every trace of serum has previously been 
removed by repeated washings in an isotonic saline solution. But if the 
separated serum is restored to each of the several kinds of blood corpuscles 
treated with venom, lysis takes place. They found that the substance or 
substances of those serums capable of activating the hemotropic principles 
of venom have the properties of serum complements, inasmuch as the elective 
removal of the serum-amboceptors for each kind of the washed corpuscles 
by absorption in the cold (0° C.) did not impair their activating property, 
and heating the serum to 56° C. for 30 minutes deprived some of the serums 
of this activating action. Neither did solution of the venomized corpuscles 
take place at o° C. The abolition of the activating property by heating to 
56° C. was observed with the serums of rabbits, guinea-pigs, and Necturus, 
but seldom with that of dogs. The velocity of the haemolytic process was 
