TOXINES. 21 



intestinal bacteria (FERMI and PERNOSSI), and the secretions of 

 the intestine. 



From the concordant results of experiments made by NENCKI 

 (loc. cit.) on PAWLOW'S dogs and of those by CARRIERS (he. cit.) 

 with preparations of enzymes, it is beyond question the digestive 

 ferments that render toxines innocuous. Thus, CARRIERS (loc. 

 cit.) found that even the saliva diastase had an injurious influence, 

 that pepsin was not very active, but that trypsin, and, above all, 

 the bile, had the greatest effect. NENCKI obtained the following 

 results in experiments with pure sterilised fluid from fistulas : 

 Pepsin, by itself, destroyed bacterial poisons (but not abrine). 

 The presence of acid was not essential, since the same result was 

 obtained after nearly complete neutralisation, as had also been 

 stated previously by CHARRIN. 1 Pancreatic juice, by itself, had 

 a greater destructive effect upon diphtheria toxine than upon 

 tetanus toxine, the latter being particularly sensitive to the 

 action of a mixture of 3 parts of pancreatic juice and 1 part 

 of bile. 



Attempts to produce immunisation by the simultaneous injec- 

 tion of bile with the toxine were unsuccessful. CHARRIN and 

 LEVADITI 2 injected diphtheria poison (100 times the lethal dose) 

 into freshly extirpated pancreas, and found that it was completely 

 destroyed after twenty-two hours. Muscle plasma or pancreas 

 heated to 70 C. were without action. According to CARRIERS, 

 no destructive effect is to be attributed to the mucous membrane 

 of the intestine or the intestinal bacteria. 



BALDWIN and LEVENE S also proved that pepsin, trypsin, and 

 papayotin destroyed diphtheria toxine. 



Notwithstanding this, CANO-BRUSSO 4 still asserts that the 

 destruction of the tetanus poison in the intestine is to be 

 attributed to the action of the mucous membrane itself. 



Mode of Action of Toxines. Toxines, as shown above, do not 

 act through the digestive tract, and it is necessary to introduce 

 them by other means into the organism. The most convenient 

 method is subcutaneous injection, just as in cases of poisoning by 

 living bacteria. 



1 Charrin, "Action des sues digestifs sur les poisons microbiens," Arch, 

 de Phyx., 1898, 67. Charrin and Lefevre, "Action de la pepsine sur la 

 toxine diphth.," Soc. BioL. xlix., 830, 1897 ; Sem. Med., 1897, 296. 



2 Charrin and fLevaditi, "Action de pancreas sur la toxine diphth.," 

 Soc. BioL, li., 215, 1899. 



3 Baldwin and Levene, "Action of proteolytic ferments on bacterial 

 toxines," J. Med. Research, vi., 120 ; Malys Jb., 1901, 953. 



4 Cano-Brusso, "Untergang d. Tetanusgiftes im Darm," Malys Jb., 

 1901, 914. 



