112 TOXINES AND ANTITOXINES. 



Tetanus poison is therefore rapidly absorbed without at once 

 manifesting its activity. Yet, even a short time after inocula- 

 tion, free toxine can no longer be detected in the organism of 

 susceptible animals. On the contrary, it has, for the most part, 

 entered into combination with the receptors. Only in the blood, 

 and, to a less extent, in the lymph, can toxine be detected after 

 the injection (RANSOM 1 ), and in the case of the lymph for an 

 hour afterwards at most. 



With these exceptions it cannot be found in any of the organs 

 or secretions (MAKIE 2 ). BRUSSCHETTINI 3 alone claims to have 

 detected it in the kidneys, whence, according to him, it is ex- 

 creted. In like manner it has been found by various observers 

 in the urine. BRUNNER* detected it in the urine of animals 

 used in experiments, but not in that of infected men, and his 

 results were confirmed by BEHRiNG. 5 KARTULis 6 could only 

 find it in the urine when very large doses had been given. It is 

 usually vainly sought in the urine of men suffering from tetanus, 

 though VULPINS 7 found the urine left in the bladder after death 

 so poisonous that 2 c.c. rapidly infected a guinea-pig. 



In the case of refractory animals the toxine circulates for 

 a long time in the blood, as we have described in the General 

 Part, without entering into combination with the organs, until 

 eventually it slowly disappears. 



In addition to its effect upon the central nervous system, 

 which is the absolutely dominating symptom of tetanus poison- 

 ing, and with which we deal at length below, tetanospasmine 

 also produces certain general symptoms, which can only be briefly 

 mentioned, since it can be no part of our task to give a complete 

 description of the pathology of tetanus. 



The pressure of the blood remains unchanged, as has been 

 found by HANS MEYER and HALSEY, S contrary to the results 

 of former investigators, and in this respect the symptoms differ 

 from those of strychnine poisoning which is otherwise so similar. 



1 Ransom, " Die Lymphe nach intravenoser Inj. von T.-T.," Z.f. phys- 

 Ch., xxix., 349, 1900. 



2 Marie, "Rech. s. 1. toxine tetanique," Ann. Past., xi., 591, 1897. 



3 Brusschettini, quoting from Brunner, loc. cit. 



4 Brunner, "Klin, und exp. Stud. lib. Tet.," Beitr. z. klin. Chirurg., ix. 

 to xii., 1892-4. 



5 Behring, " Die Blutserumtherapie," iii., 54, Leipzig, 1892. 



6 Kartulis," Unters. iiber das Verhalten des Tet.-Giftes im KSrper," 

 Diss., Berlin, 1892 (Dec.) 



7 Vulpins, "Ueb. einen Fall von Wundstarrkrampf m. Tiervers.," 

 Deutsch. med. Woch., 1893, 992. 



8 Hans Meyer and Halsey, " Tetanusstudien," Festschr. f. Jajft, Bruns- 

 wick, 1901. 



