Ill 



Through the combination of one grammolecule of 

 tetanolysin with one grammolecule of antitetanolysin 

 is thus set free an amount of heat = 6600 cal., which 

 cipher probably is right within GOO cal. The heat-reac- 

 tion is thus rather strong from a chemical point of 

 view, the heat developed being about the half of that 

 set free by the neutralisation of a strong acid with a 

 strong base (13700 cal. at 18 C.). 



It is noticeable, that the constant in the above equa- 

 tion, which from experiments from may 1900 was found 

 0,115 at 37 C, now the first of July 1902 had a value, 

 ten times as great, 1,18 at 37,25 (corresponding to 1,15 

 at 37). The power of the toxin to combine with anti- 

 toxin has thus considerably decreased during 2 years. 

 Most probably it is the toxin, which has changed. Ac- 

 cording to the experiments from may 1900 2 cc. of a 

 2% tetanolysin solution were then equivalent to 0,276 

 cc. of a Y40/o solution of antitoxin. According to the 

 experiments from year 1902 2 cc. of a 2% tetanolysin 

 solution were equivalent to one sixth of two cc. V8o/o 

 antitoxin solution, that is --2cc. 2% tetanolysin solu- 

 tion were equivalent to 0,167 cc. V4o/o antitoxin. The 

 power possessed by this preparation of tetanolysin of 

 fixing antitoxin has during these two years decreased 

 to six tenth of its value in 1900. It seems very impro- 

 bable, that the power of the antitoxin has increased; 

 it is much more likely, that it has kept constant. It 

 must therefore be supposed, that the tetanolysin has 

 become considerably weaker during these two years 

 owing to that about 40% of the molecules of toxin 

 have been decomposed. The remaining molecules of 

 toxin have also changed, so that the constant K increa- 

 sed to ten times as much; still this change is not very 

 essential, as it corresponds to the change of the toxin, 



77 



