94 TOXINES AND ANTITOXINES. 



SPRONCK 1 asserts that antidiphtheritic serum that has been 

 kept for twenty minutes at a temperature of 58 C. no longer 

 possesses the property of producing the unpleasant erythema 

 resembling urticaria, which is frequently the case with serum 

 that has not been thus heated. 



It appears to be destroyed in the digestive tract. DZIERZ- 

 GOWSKi 2 found that immunisation could not be effected by 

 introduction of the antitoxine per os. Only in the case of rabbits 

 could a slight absorption be observed after its introduction into 

 the empty stomach. 



Hydrochloric acid has a particularly injurious action, while 

 neutralised pepsin and the pancreas and gall are fairly innocuous 

 to it. Yet it is not absorbed by way of the intestine. 



There is no doubt, however, but that it must be gradually 

 destroyed under the influence of the digestive ferments, for its 

 resistance to the action of trypsin is not absolute. At all events, 

 PICK (loc. cit.) found that the antitoxine was destroyed to a large 

 extent (almost two-thirds), even after nine days' exposure to the 

 digestive action of trypsin. 



It also disappears rapidly from the blood after subcutaneous 

 injection, as was shown by PASSiNi, 3 whose explanation is that a 

 partial combination takes place within the tissues. 



BOMSTEIN* has studied the question of the survival of the 

 antitoxine. After a single introduction of a quantity of the 

 antidiphtheritic serum it rapidly disappears from the blood. 



It is not known what becomes of it, but it appears to be 

 destroyed, for it is only during the first days that slight traces 

 are present in the urine ; nor can it be detected with certainty 

 in the organs. 



An interesting observation recorded by MuRAWJEW 5 is that the anti- 

 serum is far from being inert, and that it produces somewhat serious 

 injuries in the cells of the spinal cord of guinea-pigs. He, therefore, gives 

 a warning against the use of too large doses at once. 



This, however, is doubtless to be attributed to the serum of the foreign 

 species of animal, and not to the antitoxine, since normal serum also pro- 



1 Spronck, " Chauffage du Se"rum antidiphth.," Ann. Past., xii. , 697, 1898. 



2 Dzierzgowski, "Die Bezieh. d. Verdauungsfermente zum Anti- 

 diphtherieserum," Arch. d. Sciences Biol, vii., 337 ; Maly's Jb., 1899, 957. 



3 Passini, " Vers. fiber die Dauer d. antidiphth. Schutzimpfung," Wlen. 

 Uin. Woch., 1896, 1111. 



4 Bomstein, " Z. Frage der passiven Immunitat. bei Diphtheric," 

 CentraiU.f. BaU., xxii., 587, 1897. 



5 Murawjew, "Das Diphtherietoxin u. Antitoxin in ihrer Wechsel- 

 wirkung auf das Nervensvstem d. Meerschweinchens," Fortschr. d. Med.. 

 1898, 93. 



