188 | VENOMOUS SNAKES AND THE PHENOMENA OF THEIR VENOMS 
most bloods contain mainly the second group. Ethereal extraction removes 
from the latter the greater part of the activators, which, when introduced into 
the non-susceptible variety of corpuscles, make the latter susceptible to the 
hemolytic effect of venom. Calcium chloride removes the activating property 
very effectively, but not that of the first group (dog). In accordance with 
this finding the defibrinated bloods of the second group are very well protected 
by the addition of calcium chloride, but this salt fails to protect the blood of 
the first group. Even the washed corpuscles of the latter group may finally 
be hemolyzed by venom in spite of the presence of calcium chloride, demon- 
strating that lecithin forms at least a part of the activators in these cells. It 
may be recalled at this place that both from the non-activating serums and 
from the non-susceptible corpuscles a certain quantity of lecithin is easily 
extractable with hot alcohol. 
It has repeatedly been stated that every serum becomes venom-activating 
when heated to coagulation and that it matters not whether the serum was 
originally activating or not. The activating property developing after heat- 
ing is uninfluenced by calcium chloride and its action is very rapid. ‘There 
can be no doubt that it is due to the liberation of lecithin by heat. Noguchi 
found, however, that non-activating serum is here again quite inferior to 
activating serum in its activating power after heating. In both instances 
ethereal extraction fails to remove the activator from the clear filtrate which 
alone is activating. It appears that lecithin exists as a non-coagulable pro- 
tein compound, comparable to Chabrie’s albumin. 
Now, taking up the question why lecithin is available for venom activation 
in dog’s serum and not in ox’s serum, Noguchi was able to show that lecithin 
as existing in paired state with serum albumin and serum globulins is entirely 
inactive in regard to venom activation. It is the same with non-activating 
or activating serums. But in the activating variety (dog) there exists in the 
serum a certain protein compound of lecithin capable of venom activation, 
but not in the non-activating serum. ‘This compound remains in solution 
when serum globulins are precipitated by dialysis, but can be precipitated 
by half-saturation with ammonium sulphate. It is perfectly soluble in water, 
and is not coagulable in neutral alkaline salts solutions upon boiling. Cal- 
cium chloride has no inhibiting influence on its venom-activating property 
and warm alcohol extraction of this protein yields much lecithin, but not with 
ether. In this place it may be remarked that boiling of fractionated albumin 
and globulins of ox serum did not produce any striking amount of venom 
activator. No study has been made to find out why the whole serum pro- 
duces and the fractionated proteins do not produce venom-activating lecithin 
compounds on boiling, but the removal of certain salts and lipoids through 
fractionation may in part account for the difference. 
Noguchi is inclined to consider the activation of venom by certain fatty 
substances, at least in part, as a sort of cumulative action of venom and these 
chemicals. ‘That venom inflicts upon the washed corpuscles a rather marked 
injury and renders the latter considerably more subject to all kinds of destruc- 
