Ill 



arising from an increase of temperature of 26 C. Be- 

 sides the haemolytic power of the toxin has decreased 

 during the same time, so that in 1902 a dose about 

 three times as great as that required in 1900, was neces- 

 sary to produce a certain degree of haemolysis. 



As it was of interest to compare this decrease with 

 that, which occurs much quicker in solution, especially 

 if this is diluted, experiments were undertaken to com- 

 pare the strength of fresh toxin with that of an older 

 one, which had been kept in solution during 4 5 days. 

 The latter solution was 2% and made by mixing 

 several older ones together. From standing at 20 C. 

 (temperature of the room) the toxicity of the solution 

 had decreased to about l / 6 of the original strength, it 

 had thus decreased about double as much as the solid 

 tetanolysin during two years. 



The experiments were rendered very difficult for this 

 reason, that the blood corpuscles in this solution of 

 lysin turned violet, indicating commencing putrefaction. 

 The experiments with fresh toxin gave the same results 

 as those just mentioned (at 37), allowing for errors of 

 experiment. The blood was diluted with 0,85% NaCl 

 solution. 



The experiments with old lysin gave the following re- 

 sults (the table is arranged as the previous ones). The indi- 

 ces of x signify the degree of colour, used for comparison. 



Although the colour was not very suitable for the 

 comparison, the result agreed very well with the cal- 

 culation, which gave p = = 6 and K 1,74. 



The fact that p has the same value as in the case 

 of fresh tetanolysin shows, that in this case (in contrast 

 with the preceding, where tetanolysin was kept dry) 

 no antitoxin fixing molecules of toxin have been decom- 

 posed. Still the haemolysing power of the toxin has 



78 - 



