76 TOXINS AND ANTITOXINS. 



first been strongly expressed. It is then dissolved 

 in water.* 



Tetanus Toxin. The fact that the tetanus 

 bacillus never penetrates to the interior of the 

 organism enabled us long ago to foretell that it 

 secretes a very powerful toxin capable of dia- 

 lyzing and diffusing through the economy. Kuno 

 Faber was the first to fully recognize the fact that 

 the culture bouillon of this bacillus, fully steril- 

 ized by filtration through porcelain, possesses an 

 exceedingly high toxicity, and exerts a toxic 

 effect on 50 ooo ooo times its own weight of living 

 organism. Brieger had previously, however, ex- 

 tracted three ptomaines from the cultures of the 

 bacillus tetanin, tetanotoxin, and spasmotoxin.\ 

 In order to obtain a highly active liquid, the same 

 culture medium is inoculated several times in 

 succession, but filtering each time before the new 

 inoculation; the microbes greatly increase in 

 number after each fresh inoculation, and the toxic 

 substance developed by them accumulates. { 



Experiment has shown that the culture bouillon 

 thus obtained contains two kinds of toxic sub- 



* Roux and MARTIN: Contribution a 1' Etude de la Diphteria. 

 Annal. de V Instil. Pasteur, vin, p. 512. 



f Die Pathogenese des Tetanus. Berlin. Klin. Wochenschr. 

 1890, No. 31. 



J NAILLARD: Compt. rend, de VAcad. des Sciences , cxx, p, 

 1181. 



