RELATION OF TOXINES TO ANTITOXINES. 49 



accuracy in these the quantities of toxones calculated by means 



200 B 

 or the rormula z - - -~ as given above. 



a + j8 



For example, in one instance the calculated toxone value was 



170 

 z = 33-33, and he found that at ^ AA all the animals remained 



160 

 alive, while they died at ~r, so that the toxone value must thus 



have been between 30 and 40. 



It is also evident that a complete transformation of certain parts of the 

 tritotoxine most nearly allied to the toxones must increase the toxone 

 zone, for it is impossible to recognise tritotoxoids, even when they occur in 

 a state of purity, in a place where it is no longer possible to detect such 

 a small amount of toxine. This is due to their possessing only a slight 

 affinity similar to that of the toxones, and thus escaping detection in the 

 determination of the L + value, and also to their being confused with the 

 toxones in making the diagrams. In this way we can explain an apparent 

 increase in the amount of toxones compared with their quantity in the 

 fresh poison, as has been found to be the case by MADSEN (loc. cit., p. 819), 

 while it is denied by EHRLICH. 



It is not possible to fix an absolutely sharp limit between the 

 different zones. There appear, rather, to be reactions taking 

 place both between the toxones and toxines, and the toxines and 

 protoxoids, which we must regard as being capable of having 

 some slight influence upon the conditions of quantitative com- 

 bination, unless we agree with MADSEN in attributing such 

 uncertain reactions to the influence of varying conditions of 

 concentration and temperature. 



Toxines and Antitoxines in the Light of Physical Chemistry. 

 Modern physical chemistry, which has effected so profound 

 a change in our views of the nature of chemical reactions, has 

 of late also turned its attention to the study of physiological 

 chemical processes. I have already shown elsewhere 1 how great 

 an influence these conceptions and methods have had upon the 

 theory of ferments. Quite recently attempts have been made to 

 investigate also the processes that underlie the action of toxines 

 and antitoxines, by means of the kinetic modes of representation 

 of physical chemistry. And there is reason to hope that in this 

 way it may be found possible to express mathematically, in 

 numerical values, the conceptions that the genius of EHRLICH 

 has given to us. As yet, however, these attempts are still in 

 their earliest infancy. 



1 Oppenheimer, Ferments and their Actions. English edition. Griffin & 

 Co., 1902. 



4 



