Artificial immunity against toxins 363 



where the death of the guinea-pigs might be attributable to an 

 intoxication by the toxone, the general result could not be altered. 

 The toxones are, according to Ehrlich, manufactured by the micro- 

 organisms in the culture media and form an integral part of the 

 natural microbial poisons. Again, they are neutralised by antitoxic 

 serums. If, therefore, in spite of there being the same quantity of 

 toxones and of antitoxin in the mixtures, these mixtures become 

 more toxic for the guinea-pig than for the mouse, we have an indica- 

 tion that some special change must take place in the animal to upset 

 the conditions of toxicity. 



Weigert 1 accepts the accuracy of Buchner's experiment, which, 

 indeed, can no longer be denied, but explains it on the hypothesis 

 that there is some substance in the animal possessing a very great 

 affinity for the toxin. This substance is supposed to be capable of 

 decomposing the innocuous combination of the antitoxin with the 

 toxin, just as heat does in Calmette's and Wassermann's experiments, 

 described above. In both cases the toxin would be set free to exert 

 its noxious action. Such a hypothesis is very probable, because it 

 agrees with direct observation, but it compels us to accept some new 

 phenomenon which is produced not in vitro, but in the living animal, 

 and which carries on its work in a very different fashion in the 

 guinea-pig and in the mouse. 



In the present imperfect state of our knowledge it is very difficult 

 to form any idea of the precise conditions which must intervene in 

 the organism of the guinea-pig to cause the tetanus toxin to act in a 

 mixture with antitoxin which is much more innocuous for the mouse. 

 In order, however, to satisfy those who seek to understand these 

 complex phenomena, it may be useful to cite another example of 

 antitoxic action in which certain factors are distinguished by their 

 simplicity. 



Lang, Heymans and Masoin 2 have demonstrated that hyposul- [382] 

 phite of soda prevents poisoning by prussic acid. This terrible 

 poison becomes innocuous if we take care to introduce into the 

 animal by any channel whatever (subcutaneously, intravenously, or by 

 the stomach) a sufficient quantity of hyposulphite of soda. Under 

 these conditions the sulphite is substituted for the hydrogen of the 

 prussic acid, transforming the poison into sulphocyanic acid, which 



1 Lubarsch u. Ostertag's " Ergebnisse d. allgera. Pathologie u. patholog. Auato- 

 mie," Wiesbaden, iv Jaln-g. (for 1897), S. 121. 



2 Arch, internal, de Pharmacodyn., Gaud et Paris, 189G, Vol. in, p. 77. 



