58 BACTERIOLOGY FOR NURSES 



the blood-serum of the immune animal contained 

 some substance which neutralized the toxin, render- 

 ing it harmless; they named this something anti- 

 toxin. 



The chemical character of antitoxin is still a matter 

 of conjecture, but it has been proven that the com- 

 bination of toxin and antitoxin is of a chemical 

 nature, the antitoxin holding the poison of the toxin 

 in abeyance (that is, neutralizing) so long as the 

 combination exists. This fact has been repeatedly 

 proved in the laboratory, where it is possible to 

 control both substances as to amount and environ- 

 ment, but it is easy to appreciate how difficult the 

 study becomes when the body is invaded by an 

 unknown quantity of pathogenic bacteria, and 

 when the reaction of the living tissues cannot be 

 definitely gauged. 



It has been found that antitoxin in small amounts 

 occurs in the normal blood of many healthy persons, 

 and that the amount is quickly increased when toxic 

 materials are introduced into the body, thus showing 

 that the presence of the bacteria stimulates the 

 manufacture of antitoxin by the body. It is be- 

 lieved that the body- cells are responsible for the 

 origin of the antitoxin, and the different cells are 

 the origin of the antitoxins for different organisms. 



