GENERAL PROPERTIES AND ACTIONS OF THE VENOM. 



87 



Before giving the results of the experiments with the transplanted glands 

 we will give the results of some experiments in which fresh venom glands were 

 inoculated into mice, as well as some in which the juice expressed from the 

 fresh gland was injected. 



Two mice were inoculated with small pieces of heloderma venom gland 

 which had just been removed. Both of these mice died about 2 hours after 

 being inoculated. 



A small quantity of the fluid expressed from the cut surface of a fresh 

 venom gland was measured and diluted with 0.85 per cent sodium-chloride 

 solution and various quantities of this mixture were injected into mice. The 

 results of the injection are given in the following table: 



Injection of venom-gland fluid into mice. 



The fluid from the venom gland was in this case about 100 times as strong 

 as the venom obtained from the heloderma's mouth (since the lethal dose of the 

 latter is 0.005 c.c. for a mouse). In another experiment 0.44 gram of a fresh 

 gland was cut in small pieces and in a mortar mixed with 3 c.c. of 0.85 per cent 

 NaCl. As much fluid as possible was pressed out of the gland and the mixture 

 was filtered through a paper filter. 100 c.c. of 0.85 per cent NaCl solution were 

 added to 1 c.c. of the filtrate. One mouse received 1 c.c. and another 0.5 c.c. 

 of this diluted extract subcutaneously. Both mice were soon affected and 

 died within less than an hour. Another mouse w^hich received 0.1 c.c. of this 

 diluted filtrate w r as found dead 2 days after the injection; mice that received 

 still smaller doses remained alive. A mouse which received, therefore, the fil- 

 tered juice of about 0.7 mg. of the venom gland died in less than an hour. 



The experiments in which the toxicity of the pieces of venom gland trans- 

 planted subcutaneously into helodermas were tested gave the following results : 



Inoculation of transplanted pieces of venom gland into mice. 



From these experiments it is evident that the fluid in the transplanted 

 pieces of gland retains its toxic effect even after a period of 4 weeks. Whether 

 there has been any diminution in the strength of this fluid we are unable to state. 



