446 MICROBIOLOGY 



An antitoxin against venoms was found by Phisalix and 

 Bertrand 9 and demonstrated to be of therapeutic value by 

 Calmette. 10 It is prepared by the injection of the modified 

 venom of the cobra or other poisonous serpents into an animal 

 whose blood later will neutralize the poisonous effect of the 

 venom. 11 The antibodies causing this action are designated 

 antivenene or antivenom serum. 



In 1894, Pfeiffer 12 made an observation in the study of 

 cholera microspira which has been designated ''Pfeiffer's phe- 

 nomenon" and which explains somewhat clearly the effect of 

 certain of the intracellular toxins. He found that when he 

 injected the living virulent microspira into the abdominal 

 cavity of a guinea pig which had been immunized to these bac- 

 teria by repeated inoculations with non-lethal doses, or when he 

 injected a susceptible guinea pig with the organisms simul- 

 taneously with the serum of an immune guinea pig, that the 

 organisms lost their motility, became spherical and then under- 

 went granular degeneration and finally complete dissolution 

 while the inoculated animal remained apparently unaffected. 

 In this case there was a destruction of the bacteria themselves 

 or bacteriolysis. 



One experiment after another, therefore, has demonstrated 

 the existence of specific antibodies that are given off by the 

 body cells in response to the stimulation by extracellular and 

 intracellular toxins, animal tissues, vegetable proteids and 

 venoms. 



In addition to the specific reaction products described, 

 there are several other substances produced by the body cells 

 that seem to be quite as specific in their origin and nature as 

 the cytolysins. These substances, which seem to be products 

 directed toward immunity, possess certain properties which 



9 Phisalix and Bertrand. Compt. rendu de 1'Acad. des Sci. de 

 Paris, Vol. CXVIII (1894) p. 356. 



10 Calmette. Comp. rendu de la Soc. de Biol. de Paris, Vol. I 

 (1904) p. 120. 



11 For further study of the antitoxins of venoms see work of 

 Flexner and Noguchi, Jour. Exp. Med., Vol. VI, p. 277. 



12 Pfeiffer. Zeit. f. Hyg., Bd. XVII (1888) p. 355. 



