BOTULISM TOXIN. 421 



activity of the organism after it has reached the 

 alimentary tract (v. Ermengem). If an extract 

 of the meat is made with water and the bacteria 

 removed from the latter by filtration, the fluid 

 shows characteristic toxicity for animals. This 

 experiment may be used for determining the pres- 

 ence of botulism toxin in suspected meat. The 

 guinea-pig is the most susceptible animal. 



According to v. Ermengem, the bacillus does not 

 proliferate in the body, nor does it produce toxin 

 vigorously at body temperature; hence, he consid- 

 ers it to be a strict saprophyte a pathogenic sap- 

 rophyte. 



The toxin is taken up by the circulation from 

 the alimentary tract and is not destroyed by the 

 gastric and pancreatic juices, differing in this re- 

 spect from the toxins of diphtheria and tetanus. 

 It is prepared artificially by growing the organism 

 anaerobically in suitable bouillon and subsequently 

 sterilizing the fluid by filtration. Like the other 

 soluble bacterial toxins, it is susceptible to the ac- 

 tion of air and light, and is destroyed by a tem- 

 perature of from 60 to 70 C. 



That the toxin has a special affinity for the nerv- p a tiiosenesis. 

 ous tissues is evident from the symptoms of the 

 disease; histologically, the ganglionic cells show 

 degeneration in fatal cases. Further evidence of a 

 strong affinity between the toxin and nervous tissue 

 lies in the ability of the latter to neutralize the 

 toxin in the test-glass. The toxin, however, ap- 

 pears not to be so selective in its action on the 

 nervous tissue as the toxin of tetanus, for in bot- 

 ulism degenerations of the glandular organs, and 

 of the vascular endothelium with consequent hem- 

 orrhages are characteristic anatomic findings. 



