114 TOXINES AND ANTITOXINES. 



GOLDSCHEIDER and FLATAU, 1 JouKOWSKY, 2 and others have 

 succeeded in demonstrating directly under the microscope the 

 action of tetanus toxine upon the ganglionic cells, especially 

 those of the anterior cornua. Particularly vigorous discussion 

 has taken place on the question whether the nervous system is 

 the only point of attack for the poison ; and also whether it is 

 only the central nervous system that is attacked. 



The question appears to have been decided with certainty by 

 the investigations of GuMPRECHT 3 in favour of the view that 

 the central nervous system, and above all the spinal cord, is 

 exclusively attacked by the poison, and that the symptoms else- 

 where are to be attributed to these primary ones. COURMONT 

 and DoYON 4 conclude that the whole of the sensory neuron is 

 liable to the primary attack. 



The statement that the poison attacks primarily only the 

 central nervous system is apparently not easy to reconcile with 

 the fact of "local tetanus" The two can only be brought into 

 agreement by the assumption that there is a direct transmission 

 of the poison in the nerves from the point of infection to the 

 spinal cord. This conclusion was first drawn by BRUSSCHETTINI S 

 who was himself able to detect the poison in the nervous system, 

 whereas other blood-free organs, including the muscles at the 

 point of infection did not contain it. 



This view has recently received support from the particularly 

 comprehensive experiments of HANS MEYER and RANSOM. Their 

 results were as follows : After subcutaneous inoculation with 

 tetanus toxine the poison could be detected in the nerve. This 

 most important result was simultaneously confirmed by MARIE 

 and MORAX * who found the poison in the sciatic nerve of one 

 infected leg, and also in the other after the occurrence of general 

 tetanus ; it was also found, in particular, in the masseteric nerve 

 but not in the optic nerve, which is indeed an integral portion 

 of the brain. 



1 Goldscheider and Flatau, "Ueber die Ziele der modernen Nervenzel- 

 lenforschung," Deutsch. med. Woch., 1898, 165. 



2 Joukowsky, "De 1'influence de la toxine te"tan. sur le system nerveux," 

 Ann. Past., xiv., 464, 1900. 



3 Gumprecht, "Zur pathol. d. Tetanus," Deutsch. med. Woch., 1894, 

 546; Id., "Vers. iiber d. physiol. Wirkg. des Tetanusgiftes," Pflugers 

 Arch., lix., 105 (Bibliography), 1895. 



4 Courmont and Doyon, "Le T(5tanos," Paris, BaiUiere, 1899. 



5 Brusschettini, Rif. Med., 1892, quoted from Brunner. 



6 Hans Meyer and'Ransom, "Unters. lib. d. Tetanus," Arch. exp. Path., 

 xlix., 369, 1903. 



7 Marie and Morax, "Rech. sur 1'absorption de la tox. t6t. f " Ann. Past., 

 xvi., 818, 1902; xvii., 335, 1903. 



