48 



TOXINES AND ANTITOXINES. 



The " spectrum " (for the same poison), after the formation of 

 syntoxoid, could then be represented thus 



ProtojcoicL 



Synboocouci 



Toocorte 



GO WO 16O ZOO 



Fig. 3. The same Poison in the Hemitoxine condition. 



As a matter of fact, however, the diagrams are still much more complex. 

 It is not my intention to deal specially with the individual " spectra" that 

 EHRLICH and MADSEN have published. I only wish to give the principles 

 of these methods, and can now content myself with a simple statement of 

 the results that have been obtained in these analyses. 



The quantitative decomposition of poisons on standing takes place in the 

 following manner : At first only toxines and toxones are present. The 

 toxines consist of three distinct varieties, each of which has a different 

 affinity for antitoxine viz. , proto-, cewero-,and trito -toxines the last being 

 most nearly related to the toxones. Moreover, each of these varieties of 

 toxines is composed of two modifications a- and p-toxine in equal pro- 

 portions. The a- modification of all three toxines decomposes very rapidly, 

 losing its toxophore groups formation of syntoxoids and development of 

 the above-mentioned hemitoxine condition. 



Then begins, at an early stage, the destruction of the toxophore group of 

 the /3-tritotoxine, which, however, never continues to the complete replace- 

 ment of the toxine by toxoid. Small amounts of toxine invariably remain 

 in this zone e.g., 3 : 7, 2 : 8, or 1 : 9 of toxoid which can be recognised 

 in the "spectra" by the fact that toxic action still takes place here, that, 

 for example, in the case of the proportion 1 : 9, a reduction of the units of 

 combination by 10 liberates 1 lethal dose. 



Not until a later period does the /3-prototoxine also disappear (develop- 

 ment of protoxoid zone). Thus, there finally remains unchanged only the 

 ft-deuterotoxine, in addition to a small quantity of /3-tritotoxine ; and at 

 this stage the decomposition usually stops, the poison remaining unaltered 

 for a long period in this form. 



There appear, however, to be occasional exceptions to this rule. Both 

 EHRLICH and MADSEN have described "spectra" in which, even in the 

 case of very fresh poisons, it is possible to detect the development of the 

 protoxoid zone, although even the a-deuterotoxine is still intact, so that 

 there is still a zone of unaltered toxine present. MADSEN (loc. cit. ), how- 

 ever, considers that, taking into account the continued decrease in his pure 

 poison mentioned above, we must conclude that the /3-deuterotoxine, too, 

 is not of uniform structure, but that it possesses more readily decomposable 

 constituents which change into tritotoxine. 



A very interesting confirmation of these extraordinarily 

 complicated relationships is afforded by the fact that MADSEN 

 (loc. cit.) frequently succeeded in again finding with sufficient 



