242 TOXINES AND ANTITOXINES. 



of the heart when artificial respiration was employed. The 

 autopsy showed congestion of the intestinal tract, lungs, and 

 suprarenal bodies ; severe lesions of the kidney, even when death 

 was rapid (PETTIT l ) ; hyaline degeneration ; and swelling of the 

 cells. Blood was present in the urine in the bladder. 



Serious alterations in the nervous system, resembling those 

 produced by tetanus, were detected by WESTPHAL 2 by means of 

 Nissl's method. 



Thus we see that the effects produced by the poison are closely 

 similar to those caused by ricine, snake venom, &c. 



Heated serum (58 C.) has still a slight action in very large doses (100 

 times the ordinary lethal amount) upon the animals, which lose considerably 

 in weight. 



Action upon the Blood, Eels' blood has an energetic haemo- 

 lytic action upon the blood even in the body (CAMUS and GLEY). 

 The iris becomes tinged with red ; areas of haemorrhage occur 

 and exudations of blood into the peritoneum, while erythrocytes 

 and haemoglobin are found in the urine. The arterial blood 

 contains haemoglobin. As a rule, the resistance of the erythro- 

 cytes is so weakened by the addition of ^-^ to TTF J TnF part of 

 eels' serum, that they give up their haemoglobin even to a 0'7 per 

 cent, solution of sodium chloride, whereas the normal corpuscles 

 of rabbits' blood do not part with it until the dilution of the 

 salt solution reaches 0*48 to O5 per cent. The blood-corpuscles 

 of the guinea-pig behave in a similar manner, whereas the 

 erythrocytes of the hedgehog have been found refractory, as 

 is also the case with those of hens, pigeons, tortoises, frogs, 

 toads, and bats. It is particularly interesting that, according 

 to H. SACHS, new-born rabbits have a relatively high power of 

 resistance, and do not acquire suitable receptors until a later 

 period (cf. Arachnolysine). The haemolytic function of eels' 

 serum is not affected by cautious neutralisation with hydro- 

 chloric acid. 



The addition of other sera has also no influence upon it, but 

 it is destroyed by heating it to 55 C. The solvent action does 

 not take place at C., but is very energetic at 23 C. 



According to WENDELSTADT, S the addition of small quantities 

 of glycogen has an influence upon the haemolysis. 



1 Pettit, "Alterations renales consecutives a 1'injection du serum 

 d'anguille," Soc. Biol, L, 320, 1898. 



2 Quoted by Kossel (loc. cit. ). 



3 Wendelstadt, "Einw. v. Glykogen a. hamolyt Vorgange, Central, f. 

 Balct., xxxiv., 831, 1903. 



