DIPHTHERIA TOXINE. 87 



general poisoning are completely analogous to those produced 

 by the living bacilli, so that we are justified in assuming that 

 the latter cause such deleterious effects solely by means of the 

 toxine that they produce. 



Guinea-pigs after poisoning with diphtheria toxine show, on 

 post-mortem dissection, the typical appearance of the disease 

 produced by the bacilli. 



FLEXNER! has given a most careful description of the appear- 

 ance on section after poisoning with diphtheria toxine : oedema, 

 swollen glands, congestion and haemorrhage of the suprarenal 

 bodies ; otherwise there is little that is characteristic even under 

 the microscope. COUNCILMAN, MALLOKY, and PEARCE* have also 

 made a careful investigation of these symptoms. 



Roux and YERSIN were able to produce a typical pseudo mem- 

 brane in guinea-pigs by inoculation of the trachea and vagina 

 with diphtheria virus. 



The guinea-pig is the most susceptible animal, but, according to 

 EHRLICH, different varieties have different degrees of suscepti- 

 bility. Horses, goats, and sheep are very susceptible. Rabbits 

 are less susceptible, and mice still less, being almost immune. 



After subcutaneous or intravenous inoculation the poison dis- 

 appears from the circulation with extraordinary rapidity, being 

 concentrated and fixed by the receptors of the tissue. This can 

 be recognised by the fact that doses of an ti toxine introduced 

 after the injection of the poison lose all power of action with 

 extreme rapidity as the difference in time increases. 



DdNiTZ 3 found that a quantity of an ti toxine just sufficient to 

 neutralise seven times the lethal dose could no longer save the 

 animal fifteen minutes after inoculation, and that after one and 

 a half hours even very large doses were insufficient. 



On the other hand, the toxic power of the blood after injec- 

 tion of diphtheria toxine has also been directly investigated. 

 BoMSTEiN 4 inoculated rabbits with a dose double that required 

 to kill a guinea-pig for each c.c. of the blood of the rabbit. 

 After an hour there was still O5 thereof present, after three 

 hours 0-25, and after twelve hours 0-12. The rate of decrease 



1 Flexner, " The pathology of toxalbumin intoxication," Johns Hopkins 

 Hosp. Record, vi., 259, 1897 (reprint). 



2 Councilman, Mallory, and Pearce, "Diphtheria: A Study of Bac- 

 teriology, &c.," 1901. Quoted in detail by Vaughan and Novy, The 

 Cellular Toxines, 1902, p. 75, et seq. 



3 Db'nitz, " Ueb. d. Grenzen d. Wirksamkeit d. Diphtherieheilserums," 

 Arch, infernat. d. Pharmacodyn. , v., 425, 1899. 



4 Bomstein, "Ueb. d. Schicksal der Diphth.-T. in Tierorganismus," 

 CentraM.f. Bakt., xxii., 785, 1898. 



