198 VENOMOUS SNAKES AND THE PHENOMENA OF THEIR VENOMS 
venomized cells succumb to the latter effects much more easily than the nor- 
mal corpuscles. Saponin, on the other hand, fails to hamolyze the venom- 
protected corpuscles, unless the venom has previously been removed, in which 
case laking is more prompt in the treated cells than in the untreated cells. 
The venom renders the corpuscles unhemolyzable in about 20 minutes. 
Noguchi finally proceeded to find out the nature of this protective phe- 
nomenon. It was ascertained that the aqueous solution of horse corpuscles 
does form minute precipitates when mixed with a strong solution of venom. 
The stroma separated from the water-laked corpuscular solution did not give 
any appreciable quantity of precipitation. By using an aqueous solution of 
pure hemoglobin he discovered that venom produces precipitation with 
this solution. But in a saline solution at 0.9 per cent the precipitate was of 
coarser and scantier nature. The weak solutions of acid or alkali promptly 
dissolve the venom-hemoglobin precipitate. This seems to explain why 
acid and alkali hemolyze the venom-protected corpuscles, while water does 
not. Globin obtained from the horse hemoglobin was found to be readily 
precipitated out by venom from its aqueous, but not saline, solution. 
Further, it was found that not every hemoglobin solution is precipitable by 
venom. ‘The intracorpuscular contents of horse, rat, and rabbit bloods gave 
abundant precipitate, while none was obtained with those of dog and guinea- 
pig bloods. The solutions of pure hemoglobin and globin of dog’s blood 
corpuscles did not give precipitation with venom. It may be mentioned 
here that the corpuscles of dog and guinea-pig are never protected by any 
high strength of venom, while those of horse, rabbit, and rat become entirely 
non-hemolyzable when mixed with strong venom solution. 
Noguchi adds that when the serum globulin of horse serum — obtained by 
dialysis —is suspended in water or weak saline solution, the venom quickly 
brings down the suspended particles, which, left to themselves, subside very 
slowly, if at all. Of globulins, pseudoglobulin gave the most abundant pre- 
cipitation with venom. 
The venom-protected corpuscles resist the hemolytic action of tetanolysin 
and the destruction by fluorescent aniline dyes when exposed to the sun’s rays. 
