BOTULISM TOXINE. 127 



hand, the minimum period of incubation (with large doses) is 

 six hours after subcutaneous injection, and four hours after intra- 

 pulmonary injection. 



Like all true toxines, it is very sensitive to external influences. 

 It is rapidly weakened by air and light, and also by raising the 

 temperature even to 58 C. for three hours. Alcohol, ether, and 

 oxidising substances also destroy it rapidly, while reducing agents 

 are relatively but little injurious. On the other hand, it is a 

 remarkable fact that it can act by way of the intestinal canal, as 

 was found by VAN ERMENGEM, and confirmed by FORSSMAN. The 

 fluids of the stomach and small intestine do not injure it, but it 

 is speedily destroyed by the contents of the large intestine. 



BRIEGER and KEMPNER * have prepared the toxine in a concen- 

 trated form by Brieger's method : 



The germ-free filtrate is partially neutralised with ammonia, and treated 

 with twice its volume of a 3 per cent, solution of zinc chloride. The preci- 

 pitate is carefully washed and cautiously treated with a 1 per cent, solution 

 of ammonium bicarbonate until the mixture just shows an alkaline reaction, 

 after which it is decomposed with ammonium phosphate, the liquid filtered 

 from the precipitated zinc phosphate, and the toxine precipitated with 

 ammonium sulphate. 



In this way they obtained very small yields of solid toxine in 

 quantitative experiments. 



Botulism toxine is a specific nerve poison. KEMPNER and 

 POLLACK 2 and MARINESCO S have simultaneously studied its 

 action upon the anatomy, and especially the alterations produced 

 in the cells of the anterior cornua, and the destruction, chromato- 

 lysis, and decomposition of Nissl's granule, with which I cannot 

 deal here. 



It is, however, very important that, owing to this strong 

 affinity for the nerve substance, botulism toxine is fixed and 

 rendered harmless by it in an analogous manner to tetanus 

 poison. 



KEMPNER and SCHEPILEWSKI 4 found that the brain and spinal 

 cord were able to combine with considerable quantities of poison, 

 and that that property could be utilised both in the prophylactic 

 injection of brain substance, as well as for the neutralisation of 



1 Brieger and Kempner, " Beitrag z. Lehre v. d. Fleishvergiftung," 

 Deutsch. med. Woch., 1897, 521. 



2 Kempner and Pollack, "Die Wirkung des Botulismus toxine auf die 

 Nervenzellen," Deutsch. med. Woch., 1897, 505. 



3 Marinesco, " Lesions des Centres nerveux produites par la toxine du 

 B. botulinus," Soc. Biol., xlviii., 31, 1896; Sem. Med., 1896, 488. 



4 Kempner and Schepilewski, "Ueb. antitoxische Substanzen geg. d. 

 Botulismusgift.," Zeit.f. Hyg., xxvij., 213, 1898, 



