DIPHTHERIA TOXINE. 91 



After an interval of 4 x 24 hours, and with a dose of anti- 

 toxine neutralising 21,000 times the amount of toxone, there 

 were two fatal cases of paresis, while one recovered after eighteen 

 to twenty-one days. With an interval of 5 x 24 hours and the 

 same dose of antitoxine (neutralising 21,000 times the amount 

 of toxone) there were three cases of paresis, one of which ended 

 in death after sixteen to twenty-nine days, while the other two 

 recovered. The toxone is thus fixed relatively very slowly, and 

 can still be influenced for a long time by the antitoxine, and 

 probably also detached much more readily than the toxiiie from 

 an already formed combination with the receptor. 



Diphtheria Antitoxine. Diphtheria toxine produces in the 

 body of an animal the corresponding antidote, the antitoxine. 

 The antitoxine, which is thus a normal, but complementary, 

 product of the body, occurs therefore in the fluids of the tissues 

 and in the secretions of individuals that have recovered from 

 diphtheria, or in artificially immunised animals. We cannot 

 deal here with the mode of production of antitoxine and its 

 relationship to artificial immunity and serum therapy; only 

 what is known of diphtheria antitoxine, as such, can be described 

 here. 



The two main sources for the artificial preparation of anti- 

 toxine are blood serum and the milk of immunised animals. 

 The more highly the animal is actively immunised, the richer 

 these fluids in antitoxine, and the greater the prospect of 

 obtaining it from them in a highly concentrated, if not pure, 

 condition. 



The antitoxine is present in considerable quantities only in 

 the serum of artificially immunised animals, although, naturally, 

 it has been found to a less extent in the blood of those con- 

 valescent from diphtheria. 



It is, however, particularly interesting that even the normal 

 serum of many species of animals contains diphtheria antitoxine, 

 and that thus haptophore side-chains are normally present in 

 the circulatory system. A. WASSERMANN 1 was the first to detect 

 antitoxine in 85 per cent, of the adults and 60 per cent, of the 

 children examined. Antitoxine has also been frequently found 

 in horse serum e.g., by DiEUDONNE 2 and CoBBETT. 3 



1 A. Wassermann, "Ueb. d. pers. Prophylaxe gegen Diphth.," Zeit. f. 

 Hyg., xix., 408, 1895. 



2 Dieudonne, "Ueb. Diphtheriegift neutralis. Wirkung d. Serum- 

 globuline," Arb. a. d. Kaiserl. Ges.-Amt., xiii., 293, 1897. 



3 Cobbett, "Enthalt das norraale Pferdeserum Antitoxin ?" Centralbl.f. 

 Bakt., xxvi., 458, 1899. See also Lancet, 1899, ii., 332. 



