Anti- Reptilian Sera 209 



venom solutions which were used as controls. Daboia venom gave the 

 same result. Cobra antiserum heated for 30 minutes at 55 remained 

 unaffected, as did also daboia venom. Six parts of the antiserum added 

 to one part of -05 % of venom solution used up all the precipitin. I^amb 

 considers that the method might be used for the standardization of anti- 

 sera for therapeutic purposes, the test being more exact than in animals. 

 Cobra venom antiserum was tested upon the venoms of 



Daboia rmsellii (Indian Chain viper) Reacted 



Echis carinata (Fhoorsa, small Indian Viper) No reaction 

 Bungarus fasciat^l8 (Banded Krait, India, colubrine family) 



Hoplocephalui curtus (Australian Tiger Snake, eolubrine family) 



The similar reactions obtained with cobra venom and that of daboia 

 would, according to Lamb, indicate that the venoms are alike, but he 

 and Hanna (Journ. Pathol. and Bacterial. 1902, vm. p. 1) have shown 

 their physiological action to be quite different, and they found Calmette's 

 antivenine to protect against cobra but not daboia venom. If the 

 proteids are identical then the venom action will not depend on these, 

 or else they possess the same haptophoric group. Nevertheless, Lamb 

 adds that, on inspection of the protocols, it is seen that cobra venom 

 gave a precipitum in higher dilutions than did that of daboia. These 

 investigations are of considerable interest in relation to my work. It 

 will be doubtless found that the injection of the serpents' bloods will 

 yield precipitins having a similar action. Such a line of investigation 

 appears to me indicated in view of the small amount of precipitin-pro- 

 ducing substance present in venom compared with its toxic action. 



(3) 468 Tests with Anti-Alligator Serum. 



The following tests were made with one antiserum obtained from 

 a rabbit treated with the serum of Alligator mississippiemis (No. 813), 

 the reptile having died at the Zoological Society's Gardens, London. 

 The antiserum was moderately powerful. 



We see from the table (p. 210) that the action of anti-alligator serum 

 was confined, so far as large reactions go, to Crocodilia; medium reactions 

 took place with the bloods of a large proportion of Chelonia, a bird's 

 blood, and egg-white. I may add here that the interaction of anti-avian 

 egg sera and reptilian bloods, and vice versd, has been amply confirmed 

 by Dr Graham-Smith, who at my suggestion has investigated this 

 interesting avian-reptilian reaction, as I termed it elsewhere (p. 205). 

 Dr Graham-Smith reports upon his results, which are mainly quan- 



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