PROTECTIVE INOCULATIONS. 



" 1. Proto-albumose, deutero-albumose, and a trace of peptone, all with 

 the same chemical reactions as the similar bodies formed in peptic digestion. 

 2. An alkaloid. 3. Small quantities of leuciii or tyrosin. The chief char- 

 acteristic of the proto- and deutero-albumose obtained from anthrax cultures 

 was found to be their strong alkalinity in solution. This was not removed 

 by prolonged dialysis or by washing in alcohol, chloroform, benzene, or ether. 

 These proteids are precipitated in an alkaline condition by saturation with 

 NaCl (proto-albumose) or (NH 4 )2SC>4." 



The alkaloid found was soluble in water or in absolute alcohol, 

 was strongly alkaline in solution, and readily formed salts with acids. 

 It was slightly volatile and lost its poisonous properties to a great ex- 

 tent when exposed to the air for some time. A mixture of the two 

 albumoses was toxic, and when injected into mice in small amounts 

 caused a local subcutaneous oedema ending in recovery. Larger 

 doses caused more extensive oedema and death. A fatal dose for a 

 mouse weighing twenty-two grammes was 0.3 gramme. Boiling for a 

 short time diminished the toxicity of these proteids without com- 

 pletely destroying it. The alkaloid produced similar symptoms 

 when injected into mice, but more promptly and in a smaller dose 0.1 

 to 0.15 gramme killed a mouse weighing twenty-two grammes in two 

 or three hours. Hankin and Westbrook have more recently (1892) 

 made researches with reference to the proteids present in anthrax 

 cultures. To obtain an immunizing albumose they cultivated the 

 bacillus at 20 C. in flesh-extract solution (1:1,000) to which fibrin 

 was added. At the end of eight days a considerable precipitate was 

 obtained by means of ammonium sulphate. This was placed in a 

 dialyzer in running water at 42 to 45 C. ; then precipitated by alco- 

 hol and dissolved in a small quantity of water (thirty cubic centime- 

 tres) five hundred cubic centimetres of flesh extract treated in this 

 way gave only 0.44 gramme of albumose. Experiments on mice 

 gave some evidence of the immunizing action of this albumose, but 

 the results were apparently not so definite as those previously re- 

 ported by Hankin. Nor are the experiments of Petermann, who 

 followed Hankin 's method (1892), more satisfactory. Arloing ob- 

 tained more favorable results by using culture liquids from which 

 the bacilli had been removed by sedimentation. A considerable 

 precipitate was obtained when alcohol was added to the culture 

 liquid, but it was found that this precipitate had no immunizing effect. 

 On the contrary, there remained in solution an immunizing sub- 

 stance. This was obtained in a concentrated form by evaporating at 

 50 C. in a partial vacuum. Experiments upon lambs showed the 

 protective power of this extract, and of the culture liquids before 

 treatment when injected in considerable quantity. 



