LEUCOMAINES TOXINS. 99 



Leucomaines : A leucoraaine is an animal alkaloid, a basic 

 substance, resulting from the tissue metabolism of the normal 

 body. They are derived principally from the nuclei ns of 

 the nuclei and the proteids of the cell-protoplasm. Accord- 

 ing to some, they play a very important role in the antitoxin 

 theories. All the various poisonous substances, elaborated 

 and excreted in the urine and saliva, etc., as well as the 

 venoms of certain snakes, etc., belong to this group. At one 

 time they were regarded as being due to bacterial activity. 



Toxalbumin : A toxalbumin is a non-basic bacterial substance 

 partaking of the chemical composition of an albumin. Tox- 

 albumins are not volatile and are extremely poisonous. The 

 poisons produced by the typhoid bacillus, spirillum of cholera, 

 Staphylococcus pyogenes, bacillus of diphtheria, and the 

 tetanus bacillus, belong to this group. Many bacteriologists 

 have abandoned this term entirely because of the as yet unde- 

 termined nature of these substances. They usually are con- 

 sidered together with the toxins. Ricin and abrin, which are 

 obtained from the castor oil bean and the jequirity bean, 

 respectively, are toxalbumins of vegetable origin. They are 

 extremely sensitive to the action of light, heat, and chemicals. 



Toxins : A toxin is a synthetic product elaborated by 

 bacteria when growing in nutrient media or in the body. It 

 is not crystallizable. It is extremely poisonous, even in 

 minute doses. The chemistry of the toxins is not definitely 

 known, as it has so far been impossible to isolate a toxin 

 chemically because of its instability. It has been suggested 

 that the toxins are closely allied to the ferments, because 

 when injected into an animal considerable time elapses before 

 death occurs. Further, because only a very small quantity is 

 sufficient to cause death. Snake-venom, abrin, and ricin 

 resemble the bacterial toxins in their action. 



Toxins are of two kinds : First, those which are probably 

 bacterial excretions. Second, those which are present only in 

 the body of the germ. The first named are obtained by fil- 

 tration from an actively growing bouillon culture. The 

 toxins of different germs differ very greatly in their poison- 

 ous qualities. For instance, the poison of the tetanus bacillus 

 is extremely virile. A mouse weighing 15 grams can be 



