164 PnYTOTOXIXS ASD ZOOTOXINS 



toxic body, tetrodo-toxin, isolated from the ovaries of Tetrodon.^'''^ 

 The purest preparations had a minimum lethal dose of 0.0025 to 0.004 

 grm. per kilo, and a provisional formula of CieHgiNOig was given to it. 

 Tetrodotoxin is neither protein nor alkaloid, nor yet a protamin. 



In tliis connection may be mentioned the peculiar erysipelas-like 

 lesions caused by bites of crabs, which indicates the formation of some 

 toxic product by tliese crustaceans. Gilchrist ** obtained a history 

 of bites or injuries by crabs in 323 of 329 cases of " er^-sipeloid. " 

 Crabs, in turn, may be poisoned by cephalopods which secrete an active 

 poison from their salivary glands.*'' ^lany coelenterates produce 

 active poisons (most famous of these being the Portuguese-man-o'-war), 

 which have especially a paralyzing and a local irritant effect.*"'^ 



EEL SERUM 



In 1888 IMosso ^° studied the toxic properties of eel serum, which he 

 found was extremely poisonous for experimental animals, 0.1 to 0.3 c.c. 

 per kilo being fatal for rabbits and dogs in a few minutes if in- 

 travenously injected; introduced into the stomach it is not toxic, but 

 it produces a violent conjunctivitis when it enters the eye, the poison- 

 ous agent being contained in the albumin fraction.^^ The poisonous 

 principle Mosso called ichtJiyoto.rin. Death results from respiratory 

 failure with large doses ; small doses lead to cachexia and death after 

 a few days. The coagulability of the blood is greatly reduced. Kos- 

 sel ®^ found histological changes in the central nervous system in such 

 animals, that resembled the lesions of tetanus. He succeeded in se- 

 curing an active antitoxin which neutralized the strongly hemolytic 

 action of eel serum in vitro, and also prevented fatal effects in ani- 

 mals. Camus and Gley ^^ have studied the physiological action of eel 

 serum and found it strongly hemolytic, and also apparently neuro- 

 toxic. The toxicity is destroyed by heating" to 58° for fifteen minutes. 

 B}^ immunization an antitoxic serum can be obtained which neutralizes 

 the eel toxin completely. Tchistovitch ^* secured antitoxic serum, 

 which acted also as a precipitin for eel serum. De Lisle "^ found that 

 eel serum does not act like an amboceptor, since after heating it can- 

 not be reactivated with fresh mammalian serum, and it seems, there- 

 fore, to be different from snake serum in its. structure. Lamprey 

 serum is likewise toxic, ^^ as is also that of the Rays. 



87aAroli. exp. Path. u. Pharm., 1890 (26). 401 and 4r).3. 

 88 Jour. Cutaneous Diseases, Novemher, 1904. 

 soBafrlioni, Zeit. f. T5iol., 1908 (f)2), 130. 



soa Roe von Fiirth. Verjrl. chem. Phvsiol.; also Lojacono, .Tour. d. plivsiol., 1908 

 (10), 1001. 

 ooAreli. Ital. de Biol., ISSS (10), 141; 1SS9 (12), 229. 

 01 Prdlot and Palilson, Graefe's Areli., 1911 (72), 1S:1. 

 02Borl. klin. Woeh., 1898 (.35), ]52. 



03 Arcli. inU-rnat. d. Piiarm.. 1899 (.''>), 247. 



04 Ann. Inst. Pasteur, 1899 (13), 40fi. 



05 Jour, of Mod. Researoli, 1902 (8). 39fi. 



ooCIev, ('omi)t. Rend. Soe. Biol., 1915 (78), 110: Camus and Olev. ibid., p. 203. 



