230 TOXINES AND ANTITOXINES. 



in the immunisation process. Hence the different antisera differ 

 very greatly in their action. It was shown by STEPHENS and 

 MYERS 1 that there were antisera to haemolysine, or that the 

 ordinary antisera also contained antihsemolysine ; yet even in 

 this case, according to FLEXNER and NOGUCHI, the antisera vary 

 in their activity, since the haemolysines, again, possess ambo- 

 ceptors of different kinds, and the antidotes act by means of 

 anti-amboceptors. 



The anti-cobra venom contains an antitoxine not only to cobra 

 neurotoxine, but also to that of the most widely differing snake 

 venoms (M'FARLAND 2 ), and also an antitoxine to the hsemolysine, 

 but is completely lacking in the anti-body to the hwmorrhayine 

 of crotalus venom ; and since this is the chief active constituent 

 in crotalus venom (vide supra), Calmette's "antivenine" is 

 powerless against that poison. 



In like manner, anticrotalus serum contains chiefly antihsemo- 

 lysine and antihsemorrhagine, but not antineurotoxine ; hence, 

 it neutralises the hsemolytic but not the neurotoxic function 

 i.e., the general toxicity of cobra venom. 



FLEXNER and NOGUCHI 3 obtained a serviceable antiserum to 

 rattlesnake venom on removing the substances that produced 

 the necroses by treating the toxine with dilute hydrochloric acid 

 or iodine trichloride. The serum had no action upon the venoms 

 of the cobra, daboia, and mocassin snake. 



In the case of those venoms which contain both the main 

 poisonous components, such as those of the mocassin and copper- 

 head snakes, the antisera naturally contain both specific anti- 

 bodies. 



The action of anti-snake-venom serum, according to all that is 

 known about it, is apparently quite analogous to that of the 

 other antitoxines i.e., it combines with and neutralises the 

 poison without destroying it. A very interesting proof in 

 support of this view was furnished by Calmette's experiment 

 (1895), of which an outline was given in the General Part. He 

 found that on heating a physiologically neutral mixture of 

 snake toxine and antitoxine to 68 C. the antitoxine could be 

 eliminated, so that the original toxic action again appeared. 

 After the heating the mixture behaved exactly like the toxine, 

 either if it had contained antiserum or normal serum. In like 



1 Stephens and Myers, Proc. Path. Soc., Lancet, 1898, i., 644. 



2 M 'Farland, "Some Investigations upon Antivenine," Journ. Amer. 

 Med. Assoc., Dec. 1901 ; abstract in Gentralbl f. Bate., xxxi., 792. 



3 Flexner and Noguchi, "Upon the Production and Properties of Anti- 

 crotalus Serum," J. of Med. Research, xi., 363, 1904. 



