TETANUS TOXINE. 105 



effect upon the toxine, so that when slowly filtered, for example, 

 it is very rapidly weakened ; and this is especially the case with 

 an alkaline solution and in the presence of light, which, by itself, 

 is not very injurious. KITASATO found that sunlight destroyed 

 the poison in fifteen to eighteen hours. FERMI and PEENOSSI 

 give the time as eight hours, and assert that in the dry condition 

 or in benzene it is not affected by sunlight. 



A current of 0'5 amp. is stated by FERMI and PERNOSSI to 

 destroy it in two hours, but alternating currents of high tension 

 have no influence if heating be prevented (MARMIER 1 ). 



It is very sensitive to the action of heat. According to 

 VAILLARD it is destroyed, for the most part, even at 65 C., but 

 not completely at 80 C. KITASATO asserts that it is destroyed 

 at 60 C. in twenty minutes, at 55 C. in one and a half hours, 

 and gradually destroyed at 35 to 37 C. In particular, the 

 addition of sodium chloride in the proportion of more than 5 per 

 cent, causes the temperature of incubation to be rapidly injurious. 

 In the dry condition the toxine is destroyed in thirty minutes at 

 150 C. ; in amyl alcohol and benzene it can be heated for an 

 hour at 80 C. (FERMI and PERNOSSI). According to MORAX and 

 MARIE 2 it resists a temperature of 154 C. for about fifteen 

 minutes. Alcohol destroys it (TizzoNi and CATTANI). Phenol 

 in the proportion of 0*6 per cent, is not injurious, and chloroform 

 has little or no influence. 



Gases, such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, 

 and hydrogen sulphide, were found by FERMI and PERNOSSI to 

 be without influence. 



According to Roux and VAILLARD 3 oxidising substances, 

 such as dilute potassium permanganate solution, are specially 

 injurious, as is also carbon dioxide under pressure. 



Other acids are also injurious, tartaric acid to a very slight 

 extent, whilst dilute lactic acid has a favourable influence 

 (BRIEGER 4 ). A comprehensive research on the influence of the 

 most diverse substances has been made by FERMI and PERNOSSI 

 (loc. cit.). 



Iodine trichloride has also an extremely injurious influence. 

 The action of a dilute (1 : 500) solution of iodine is very char- 

 acteristic. Even when only present in small quantities it 



1 Marmier, "Les toxines et Telectricite," Ann. Past., x., 469, 1896. 



2 Morax and Marie, "Action de la Chaleur seche sur la tox. let.," Ann. 

 Past., xvi., 418, 1902. 



3 Roux and Vaillard, " Contrib. & 1'etude du tetanos " Ann. Past., vii., 

 65, 1893. 



4 Brieger, "Weitere Erfahrungen iiber Bakteriengifte," Zeit. f. Hyg., 

 xix., 101, 1895. 



