XXXI. THE PROPERTY OF THE BRAIN TO 

 NEUTRALIZE TETANUS TOXIN. 1 



By Dr. E. MARX, Member of the Institute. 



WASSERMANN and Takaki's 2 communication stating that it is 

 possible by means of normal brain substance to decrease the toxicity 

 of tetanus toxin, or even, in suitable doses to entirely neutralize it, 

 was undoubtedly of great theoretical and practical significance. 

 Their statement was confirmed by many different investigators, 

 Ransom, 3 Metchnikoff, 4 Marie, 5 Blumenthal, 6 Milchner, 7 Danyz, 8 

 Zupnik, 9 and others. These experiments were devised by Wasser- 

 mann and Takaki as a test for the correctness of the side-chain theory, 

 according to which the cells, susceptible to the poison, possess recep- 

 tors which anchor the same. They argued, if the theory were cor- 

 rect, that the brain-cells which in vivo are susceptible to the poison 

 should also be capable, at least in the fresh state, to bind the poison 

 in vitro, i.e., it should be possible to neutralize solutions of tetanus 

 poison with brain substance. As is well known the result of the 

 experiments agreed with the theoretical premises and they were so 

 interpreted by Wassermann. 



This interpretation was first denied by Metchnikoff. He as well 

 as Marie had repeated Wassermann 's experiments and conceded 



1 Reprint from the Zeitsch. f. Hygiene und Infections-Krankheiten, Vol. 40, 

 1902. 



2 Berl. klin. Wochensch. 



3 Deutsch. med. Wochensch. 1898, No. 5 (communicated through v. Behring). 



4 Annales de 1'Instit. Pasteur, 1898, pp. 81 and 263. 



5 Ibid,, 1898, p. 91. 



6 Deutsch. med. Wochensch. 1898, No. 12. 



7 Ibid., 1898, No. 16. 



8 Annales de PInstit. Pasteur, 1899. 



9 Pra'ger med. Wochensch. 1899, Nos. 14 and 15. 



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