NON-PROTEID TOXINES. 141 



period. Similar toxic bodies not destroyed by heat also 

 exist in the case of the tubercle bacillus and the cholera 

 vibrio. Thus toxine formation may be a very complicated 

 process, and in many cases the elaboration of a ferment 

 may be necessary. If this ferment be injected into a fresh 

 animal it may give rise, by a process of digestion, to toxic 

 substances of a non-diastatic nature. The injection of the 

 latter, derived from previous digestive action outside an 

 animal's body, would also give rise to toxic effects. The 

 relation of ferments to toxine production is one on which 

 much further research is necessary. The important fact, 

 however, to be noted is that in certain cases there is 

 evidence of the existence of two classes of toxic bodies : 

 first, a group the activity of which is destroyed by heat, 

 and secondly, a group which are more resistant to heat. 

 The first may be ferments, and may be the originators of 

 the second, though complete proof is still wanting. 



Brieger and Boer, working with bouillon cultures of 

 diphtheria and tetanus, have lately, by a special method, 

 the essential feature of which is precipitation by certain 

 metallic salts, especially zinc chloride, separated bodies 

 which show characteristic toxic properties, but which have 

 the reactions neither of peptone, albumose, nor albuminate, 

 and the nature of which is unknown. Such bodies may, 

 on the one hand, be the final product of a digestive action, 

 or they may be the manifestation of a separate vital activity 

 on the part of the bacteria. On the latter theory the 

 toxicity of the toxalbumins of Brieger and Fraenkel, and of 

 the toxic albumoses of Martin may be due to the precipita- 

 tion of the true toxines along with these other bodies. From 

 the chemical standpoint this is quite possible. Rather in 

 support of such a possibility are the facts that the bacteria 

 of tubercle, tetanus, diphtheria, and cholera can produce 

 toxines when growing in proteid-free fluids. The toxines 

 may, therefore, be formed within the bacteria and not be 

 the result of the breaking down of the proteids, etc., on 

 which the bacteria are living. 



The relations of toxic bodies to the bacterial cell on the 



