204 TOXINES AND ANTITOXINES. 



cit.), are from 200 to 250 times less than in the case of sub- 

 cutaneous injection, are due to the fact that, on the one hand, 

 abrine is extremely susceptible to the action of acids and is thus 

 partially destroyed in the stomach ; and that, on the other hand, 

 it is extremely indiffusible. He found that after forty-eight 

 hours' dialysis the proportion that had passed into the water 

 did not amount to 1 : 250. Hence it remained in the intestine, 

 and he was able to find it again in the faeces. HENSEVAL, 

 however, asserts (loc. cit.) that it is also absorbed by way of 

 the intestine and rectum, as well as of the bladder and 

 peritoneum. 



CALMETTE and DELEARDE investigated the excretion of abrine. 

 The blood from the heart of poisoned animals was found to be 

 toxic in large doses (10 mgrms. introduced by intravenous in- 

 jection) ; but the urine was absolutely free from toxine. On 

 the other hand, however, they found that abrine appeared again 

 unaltered in the intestinal tract, when injected intravenously 

 into rabbits. Neither the blood from the heart nor the contents 

 of the intestine of immunised animals were found to contain any 

 poison that had been introduced. 



An interesting fact which CALMETTE 1 was able to demonstrate with the 

 aid of specific antitoxines is that the poisoned wood shavings with which 

 the Indians, with malevolent intent, poison cattle are smeared with 

 particles of jequirity ; the poison on the rags impregnated with snake- 

 venom and inserted into the rectum of oxen so as to poison them, could 

 also be identified in the same way. 



Some experiments made with antiabrine serum by CALMETTE 

 and DELEARDE may also be mentioned here. 



Antiabrine loses its activity at 58 C. Calcium chloride and 

 gold chloride have no effect upon it. 



According to HAUSMANN (loc, cit.) the agglutinating power is 

 considerably increased by the addition of very slight doses of 

 antiabrine, which is doubtless to be attributed to the elimination 

 of inactive proagglutinoids (protoxoids), which have a restrictive 

 influence. 



On mixing abrine and antiabrine a copious precipitate is 

 formed, as in the case of ricine, even when abrine that gives no 

 biuret reaction is used. 



1 Calmette, "Sur le serum antivenimeux," Comptes Rend., cxxii., 203, 

 1896. 



