464 H^EMOLYSINS AND ALLIED BODIES 



leucotoxin which, is thus produced in the guinea-pig is very 

 specific in its nature, affecting the leucocytes only of animals of 

 the same species. If the leucotoxic serum be heated to 55 C. it 

 loses its lysogenic power, but can be reactivated by mixing with 

 normal serum. A large injection of leucotoxic serum will kill an 

 animal (in the above case a rabbit), but if the injections be at 

 first in sub-lethal doses and be repeated in gradually increasing 

 dosage, an anti-leucotoxin will be developed in the injected 

 animal's serum. In every respect, then, these bodies act 

 like hsemolysins, and, indeed, they are produced by the same 

 mechanism, amboceptors of the third order being liberated in 

 the blood by the overproduction of certain receptors of the 

 tissue cells, on account of similar ones having been rendered 

 functionless by the injected cell uniting with them. 



Spermatozoa can also produce spermotoxins when injected into 

 an animal. These differ from leucotoxins, however, in that they 

 can produce solution not only of spermatozoa, but also of the 

 .erythrocytes of the same animal. Such a serum, therefore, contains 

 both ha3molysins and spermotoxins. The explanation of this 

 result is that spermatozoa possess some receptors which are 

 similar to those of the erythrocytes. In this case also, an anti- 

 spermotoxin can be produced by the gradual injection of spermo- 

 toxic serum. 



Ciliated epithelium, obtained by scraping the trachea of the 

 ox, and suspended in isotonic salt solution, when injected into 

 another animal also produces a so-called anti- epithelium serum, i.e. 

 an epitheliolysin. Here, again, a hsemolysin became coincidently 

 developed. This interesting result, discovered by von Dungern ( 7 ), 

 led to the hope that other forms of epithelium would also produce 

 epitheliolysins, and that one for cancerous cells might be obtained. 

 So far, however, this hope has not been realised. 



It would be superfluous here to describe in detail the other 

 cytotoxins which have been obtained. They all behave according 

 to the laws we have described above, and the most important of 

 them are : Nephrotoxin, obtained by injecting a fresh emulsion 

 of kidney cells ; and producing albuminuria, when injected into 

 suitable animals; Neurotoxin, obtained by injecting into the ab- 

 domen of geese, emulsion of dog's brain; and producing, when 

 injected into the cerebrum of dogs, marked convulsions and death ; 

 Hepatotoxin, obtained by injecting emulsion of liver cells, &c. 



