VENOM HMOLYSIS AND VENOM AGGLUTINATION i7T 
underwent hemolysis upon introduction of the crotalus complement, but 
scarcely at all when heterogeneous complements were substituted, which 
shows that the serum-intermediary bodies in this case required for their lytic 
function the homologous complement. In other words, the crotalus serum- 
intermediary bodies are isocomplementophilic. 
Now, what became of the susceptibility of these serumized cells to the action 
of venom-intermediary bodies? Are they still able to find the venom-inter- 
mediary bodies and produce hemolysis when a heterogeneous complement is 
introduced at the same time? Of course, the crotalus complement can not be 
employed in this test, for the serum amboceptors will grasp the homologous 
complement and bring about the hemolysis. The serumized corpuscles have 
proved to be very resistant to the combined addition of crotalus venom and 
the serum of guinea-pigs (in the case of corpuscles of the guinea-pigs) or that 
of dogs (in the case of corpuscles of dogs). In fact, almost no hemolysis 
commenced even after many hours’ contact, whereas complete hemolysis 
proceeded in the normal manner and rapidity with the corpuscles which had 
not been previously digested in the inactivated crotalus serum. It would 
appear from this that the receptors of the corpuscles had been saturated with 
the serum-intermediary bodies of the crotalus serum and became afterwards 
unable to fix the venom-intermediary bodies; hence there was no hemolysis 
in the presence of a heterogeneous complement, which, as already mentioned, 
is capable of activating the latter set, but not the former set, of the hemolytic 
amboceptors. It tends to show that the haptophore groups of the crotalus 
serum-intermediary bodies and the crotalus venom-intermediary bodies are 
identical and saturate the same set of receptors in the blood corpuscles. 
If in the foregoing experiment we replace the crotalus venom with water- 
moccasin or cobra venoms, the inhibition exerted by digesting the corpuscles 
in the inactivated crotalus serum becomes far less pronounced than is the case 
with the first venom. What is the reason for these differences? 
It seems most probable that the hemolytic intermediary bodies in these 
last two venoms differ from the crotalus intermediary bodies in their structure 
of haptophore groups and unite with quite other sets of receptors of these 
corpuscles. Hence the addition of heterocomplementophilic intermediary 
bodies of cobra or moccasin venoms brings about hemolysis, although some 
delay is also noticed here. 
A reversion of experimental orders of the above led Flexner and Noguchi 
to exactly the same conviction, but through another path. The washed 
corpuscles of dog or guinea-pig can be easily venomized with crotalus or 
moccasin venom without dissolving them, at least during several hours. 
Now, after venomization, still better if the venom be left in the mixture, the 
corpuscles are subjected to the action of the fresh serums of crotalus or pine 
snake. What actually happens there is that a previous treatment of these 
corpuscles with these venoms in strong concentrations, or the simultaneous 
presence of these venoms in large enough doses, interferes with the hemolytic 
action of;snake venoms. 
