952 VENOMOUS SNAKES AND THE PHENOMENA OF THEIR VENOMS 
But if we interpret the results according to the physico-chemical theory 
of Arrhenius and Madsen the graphic expression will be somewhat different 
(fig. 2). 
With another sample of cobra venom Myers obtained somewhat different 
results from the first sample. o.oor gm. of this venom contained 10,000 + 7 
= 1,428 minimal hemolyzing doses and was neutralized by 0.7 c.c. of the 
antivenin. His results were as shown in table 29 and figures 3 and 4. 
TABLE 29. 












M. h. d. still 
present. 
M. h. d. removed 
by 1 equivalent. 
Combining 
equivalents. 

Difference. 
Venom alone! «micas cm oe TABBY salsmun neuen cll Gisvetus oe covseentol| Rea cesteueeseca eee tere 
+0.05 c.c. serum .. 1000 85.6 
+0.1 or 333-3 33 
+0.2 oe 166.6 16 
+0.4 a0 40 6 


Figures 1 and 3 are presented by Myers as directly showing the constitu- 
tion of the venoms employed in his experiments. Theoretically the first 
venom contained a very large amount of toxoids of an equal or a weaker 
affinity to antitoxin than the toxin itself; hence the neutralization of the toxin 
was first to be effected, leaving, however, a comparatively small number of 
hemolytic units unneutralized, or only slowly neutralized, for the subsequent 
1o fractions out of the entire 13 of the serum. ‘This is assumed to be due 
either to the interference with the neutralization of the lysin by the presence 
of an overwhelming quantity of toxoids or to the presence of small quantities 
of toxins of weaker affinities (syntoxin and epitoxin). Should we have to 
accept this explanation, a most remarkable fact about the antitoxin develops, 
namely, the antitoxin has to neutralize many times more toxoids than the toxin 
itself before the mixture is made neutral, or, at least, harmless. 
Take the above experiments. We have seen that the first one-thirteenth 
of the serum neutralized 1,600 minimal hzmolyzing doses, and that this 
neutralization was visible through the reaction of hemolysis. The second 
one-thirteenth has neutralized 200 minimal heemolyzing doses, and the third 
75 minimal hemolyzing doses, etc. If we assume that each fraction can 
neutralize 1,600 of haptophore groups either in the form of toxin or in the form 
of toxoids, 1.3 c.c. of the antivenin must have neutralized at least 13 times 
that much, namely, 1,600 X 13 = 20,800 haptins, before rendering o.cor gm. 
of the venom neutral. Analyzing this number, it becomes evident that 1.3 c.c. 
of serum neutralized 2,000 lytic haptins and 18,800 non-lytic haptins (toxoids), 
the latter being 9.4 times more than the former. 
With the second venom we have similar facts, except that there were present 
in that sample 17,192 non-lytic haptins against 1,428 lytic haptin units. Of 
the non-lytic haptin units 47.4 were of prototoxoid and entered combination 
with the first fraction of antitoxin along with the toxin. 
