HEMOLYSIS BY YEGETABIJ-: POISONS 225 



red cells,"' and unites directly to the cell receptors without the inter- 

 vention of any intermediary body. As a similar structure has been 

 shown for stai)hylolysin and tetanolysin, it is probable that the hac- 

 ierial hemolysins are all merely toxins tcith a particular affinity for 

 red cells, and ajrainst some of these bacterial hemotoxins antitoxic sera 

 are obtainable, althouo-h there is usually some question as to how much 

 of tlu:" antagonistic effect depends on true antitoxins and how much 

 upon the cholesterol in the scrum. Of course bacteria may also fonii 

 many non-specific hemolytic sid)stances as products of their metab- 

 olism, such as acids and bases. 



Secondary anemia occurring in the infectious diseases is probably 

 to be explained largely by this hemolj'tic property of bacterial toxins. 

 Hemoglobinuria may also be produced in the same way in some in- 

 stances. Intravenous injections of filtrates of the saprophyte, B. 

 megatherinm, will produce hemoglobinuria in guinea-pigs, hence 

 hemolysis is not an exclusive property of pathogenic bacteria, and with 

 streptococci Lyall '^^^ found that the hemolysin titer did not afford a 

 criterion of virulence. No immunity is produced in animals immun- 

 ized with streptococcus hemolysin."'^ Pneumoeocci produce an intra- 

 cellular hemolytic toxin which is very labile and antigenic ; living 

 pneumoeocci convert hemoglobin into methemogiobin, but this the 

 hemolytic extracts of pneumoeocci cannot do (Cole).^^'^ Streptococcus 

 viridans has the same property,*^'* which may play a part in the effects 

 of infections with these organisms. 



HEMOLYSIS BY VEGETABLE POISONS 



A nuudjer of plant poisons are strongly hemolytic, and some of 

 them owe much of their toxicity to their effect on the erythroc^'tes. 

 One group consists of the bodies often called "vegetable toxalbu- 

 mins, " because they seem to be proteins, and includes ricin, abrin, 

 crotin, curcin and robin. Of these, crotin and curcin are particularly 

 actively hemolytic, while ricin, abrin, and robin are more marked 

 by their agglutinating action, hemolysis being produced only by 

 relatively large doses. Their effects varv^ greatly, however, according 

 to the species of animals whose blood is used. They resemble the 

 bacterial toxins, in that immunity can be secured against them, and 

 the imnume serum will prevent their hemolytic action. Heating the 

 toxalbumins to 65° or 70° does not destroy the hemolytic or agglu- 

 tinating action except with phallin, but 100° does. The action of 

 these substances is not like that of the enzymes, in that it is quanti- 

 tative,, a given amount acting on a given amount of corpuscles to 



61 Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc, 1003 (41), 0G2; Jour. Infect. Dis., 1007 (4), 277. 



cia.Jour. Med. Res., 1914 (30), 51.5. 



sibMcLeod and McXeo. .Tour. Path, and Bact., 1013 (17), 524. 

 -> sicJour. Exper. ^led.. 1914 (20), 347. 3(!3. 

 - eid Blake, Jour. Exper. Med., 1916 (24), 315. 

 15 



