572 



NA TURE 



[April i6. 1896 



establishment, and to Mr. Davis, also of the New Veterinary 

 College, for much valuable assistance. 



Following the same plan of research with the three other 

 venoms, it was found that for rabbits the minimum-lethal dose 

 per kilogramme of the Diamantina venom is -0015 grm. ; of the 

 venom of Sepedon hcefiiac hates, '0025 grm. ; and of the venom 

 of Crotalus -004 grm.' The Crotalus venom is, in its purity, 

 altogether comparable with the cobra venom ; and the deter- 

 minations, therefore, show that cobra venom is sixteen times 

 more powerful than Crotalus or rattlesnake venom. This venom, 

 as well as the two others, however, much exceed cobra venom 

 in the intensity of their local action. When death is produced 

 by Crotalus venom, the subcutaneous tissues become extensively 

 infiltrated with a large quantity of blood and of blood-stained 

 serum, the underlying muscles are reduced to an almost pulpy 

 blood-stained substance, and post-mortem decomposition occurs 

 very soon after death. Similar changes in the subcutaneous 

 tissues, but to a rather less degree, are caused by the Diamantina 



Fig. I. — Immunisation of a rabbit .^gainst 50 times the minimum-lethal dose of cobra venom. The 

 crosses connected by the continuous line represent administrations of venom. The dots 

 connected by the interrupted line represent the weights of the animal. 



venom, and in addition, hematuria, or more probably hsemoglo- 

 binuria, was invariably produced by lethal and by large non- 

 lethal doses. I mention these circumstances to indicate the 

 perfection of the protection which is produced by the adminis- 

 tration of successive gradually increasing doses ; for they can be 

 so adjusted that a dose of the Diamantina venom, even fifteen 

 times larger than the minimum-lethal, may be administered 

 without producing more than an inconsiderable degree of local 

 destructive effect. 



Experiments have also been made by which it has been 

 demonstrated that when an animal has acquired a resistant 

 power over the minimum-lethal dose of one venom, that animal 

 is also able successfully to resist the lethal action of a dose above 

 the minimum-lethal of other venoms. To a rabbit protected 

 against cobra venom, a dose above the minimum-lethal of 

 Sepedon venom has been administered ; to rabbits protected 

 against Crotalus venom, doses above the minimum-lethal of 

 Diamantina and of cobra venoms have been given ; to rabbits 

 protected against the Diamantina venom, doses above the 

 :minimum-lethal of Crotalus and Sepedon venoms have been given, 

 and in each case the animal has recovered, and but few 

 symptoms of injury were produced. At the .same time, in other 

 experiments, indications were obtained that animals protected 

 against a given venom are capable of resisting the toxic effect of 

 that venom more effectually than the toxic efiect of other 

 venoms. 



The experiments have not yet proceeded sufficiently far to show 

 for what length of time the protection conferred by any final 

 Jethal dose may last. It has been discovered, however, that 

 protection lasts for at least a considerable period of time, even 

 when the last protective dose has not been a large one. For 

 example, to a rabbit which had last received four times the 

 minimum-lethal dose of cobra venom, twice the minimum-lethal 



dose was administered thirty-four days subsequently ; while to 



another rabbit, which had last received twice the minimum-lethal 



dose of Crotalus venom, the same dose of this venom was ad- 



; ministered twenty days subsequently, and in each case the second 



: dose failed to produce any toxic symptom. 



I Having thus succeeded in producing a high degree of protec- 



j tion in animals against the toxic effects of serpents' venom, the 



j blood-serum of these animals was, in the next place, collected 



I for the purpose of testing its antidotal properties. In this portion 



of the investigation, the method followed was essentially the 



same as that described in a communication made by me to the 



Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1 871, on "The Antagonism 



between the Actions of Physostigma and Atropia," as it appeared 



to be the most direct method for obtaining accurate knowledge 



of the value of an antidote. 



A few preliminary experiments were, however, early made 

 with the serum of animals in whom the protection had not been 

 carried to a high degree, and they were sufficient to show that 

 antidotal properties are possessed even 

 by this serum. It soon became ap- 

 parent that in order to obtain some 

 reasonable approximation to constancy 

 in the conditions of the experiments, 

 it was necessary that the serum should 

 be in such a state that it would remain 

 unchanged during at least several weeks. 

 It was found that this could be insured, 

 without any appreciable loss of antidotal 

 power, by drying the freshly- separated 

 serum in the receiver of' an air-pump, 

 over sulphuric acid. 



A perfectly dry and easily pulverisable 

 solid is thus obtained from which a 

 normal serum can readily be prepared 

 as required, by dissolving a definite 

 quantity of the dry serum in a definite 

 quantity of water. The dry substance 

 is on the average equivalent to about 

 one-tenth of the weight of the liquid 

 serum. I have found that, without any 

 special precautions, it retains its anti- 

 dotal power unimpaired for at least a 

 year, and it is probable that it may be 

 kept unchanged for an unlimited period 

 of time. 

 To this antidotal serum, whether in the dry form or in solu- 

 tion, I have given the name " Antivenene," a name which, 

 notwithstanding etymological objections, has the advantages of 

 brevity and freedom from ambiguity. 



( To be continued. ) 



Diamantina venom, 

 Sepedon hiemachates, 

 Crotalus horridus. 



li milligramme. 

 2i 



NO. 1^51, VOL. 



53] 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



At the graduation ceremony of the University of Glasgow on 

 Tuesday, the honorary degree of LL.D. was conferred upon Mr. 

 Thiselton-Dyer, F.R.S., and Prof. Andrew Gray. 



Prof. J. Perry, F.R.S., Professor of Applied Mathematics 

 and Mechanical Engineering at the Finsbury Technical College, 

 has been appointed to the vacant chair of Mechanics and 

 ^Mathematics at the Royal College of Science, London. 



At a meeting of the Court of Edinburgh University on 

 Tuesday, it was announced that the trustees of the late Earl of 

 Moray have allocated the sum of ^20,000 as a capital endow- 

 ment fund for the promotion of original research in that univer- 

 sity. The Court resolved to record their deep sense of the 

 munificence of the gift and their cordial approval of the purpose 

 towards which it is to be applied. 



In the House of Commons on Thursday last. Sir A. Rollit 

 asked the Vice-President of the Committee of Council of Educa- 

 tion whether it was intended to introduce a Bill in pursuance of 

 the recommendations, with or without modifications, of the 

 Gresham Commission for the reorganisation of the University of 

 London ; and, if so, when and in which House. In reply, Sir 

 J. Gorst said he could not give any definite answer to the ques- 

 tion. The matter is however under consideration, and we are 

 informed that Lord Playfair's Bill will be reintroduced shortly 

 with small changes. 



