94 Relation of the Toxin and Anti- Toxin of Snake- Venom. 



The much higher proportion of anti-toxin to toxin required when 

 separately introduced under the skin seems to necessitate the inference 

 that anti-toxin is comparatively slowly absorbed from the subcutaneous 

 spaces. Our chemical knowledge of this poison in Hoploceplialus venom 

 and of the active principle in anti-venene, together with what is known 

 of the physiological mechanism of absorption, is quite in accordance 

 with the view that this anti-toxin is only capable of slowly penetrating 

 the capillary wall, whereas the venom passes through fairly rapidly. 

 The constituent of the venom which was used in the above experiments 

 is an albumose. It dialyses slowly, can be filtered through a film of 

 gelatin under pressure, although it does not pass through so readily as 

 water or bodies of simpler molecular constitution.* It is rapidly 

 absorbed by the blood-vessels. An animal can be killed by subcu- 

 taneous injection of a large dose in a few minutes, and the result is not 

 retarded by previous ligature of the lymphatics from the limb and the 

 thoracic duct.t 



On the other hand, BrodieJ filtered anti-toxic serum of diphtheria 

 through gelatin, and found that the active properties of the serum 

 remained with the proteids on the outside of the filter. Cherry and I 

 confirmed this result with diphtheria anti-toxin, and found the same for 

 anti-venene, and I think both these anti-toxins are bodies of great 

 molecular size comparable to proteids. The walls of the capillaries of 

 the limbs are membranes possessed of permeabilities approximating to 

 those of a film of gelatin, for Starling showed they were relatively 

 although not absolutely impermeable to proteids. || If molecular size is 

 the obstacle to proteid absorption from subcutaneous spaces the same 

 would apply to anti-toxins. 



Calmette has made the statement that anti-venene is more rapidly 

 absorbed than venom. He does not adduce any experimental proof for 

 such a statement, and I cannot see that the results detailed in this 

 paper can bear any other interpretation than that the poison with which 

 I have been working is absorbed 10 20 times as rapidly as the active 

 principle in anti-venomous serum. 



The practical indication of this in the treatment of snake bite is to 

 inject the serum intravenously, until the potency of the anti-venomous 

 serum which is at the disposal of the public is greatly enhanced. 



* C. J. M., 'Roy. Soc. N.S.W. Proc.,' Aug., 1896. 



t C. J. M., < Boy. Soc. N.S.W. Proc.,' July, 1895. 



% ' Journ. of Path.,' 1897. 



Loc. tit. 



|| ' Journ. of Pbysiol.,' vol. 19, 1895-96, p. 311. 



