FIXATION OF COMPLEIVIENT 103 



HEMOLYTIC System 



We employ the anti-sheep hasmolytic system, i.e., 

 washed sheep's red blood-corpuscles and anti-sheep 

 hemolytic rabbit serum. As the hsemolytic ambocep- 

 tor requires some time in preparation, its production 

 will be described first. This anti-sheep heemolytic 

 serum — which hereafter for the sake of brevity will 

 be termed amboceptor — is prepared by injecting 

 quantities of washed sheep's red blood-corpuscles into 

 a rabbit until in the presence of a suitable amount of 

 complement the rabbit's serum in high dilution will 

 dissolve corpuscles from the sheep when properly in- 

 cubated in vitro. 



Collection of Sheep's Blood. — The collection of 

 blood and preparation of suspension or red corpuscles 

 as described below is the same for the test itself as for 

 injection into the rabbit. A sheep may be kept on the 

 premises, or the blood may be obtained from a nearby 

 slaughter-house. The latter if available saves a good 

 deal of time. The sheep's blood can be drawn from the 

 internal jugular vein by plunging a needle of large 

 lumen into the vein and allowing the blood to fall into 

 a flask containing pieces of glass or wire. The blood 

 is defibrinated and thus prevented from clotting by 

 shaking the flask immediately after collection of the 

 blood. For the reaction, a 5 per cent, suspension of 

 sheep's corpuscles is employed. Whole blood consists 



