NEUTRALISATION OF SIMPLE POISONS 205 



TOXICITY OF MIXTURES OF THE NERVOUS POISON IN RICIN AND ANTIRICIN 



The values used are/ = 40, that is, 0.025 c.c. of the anti- 

 ricin is equivalent to 0.005 g. of the ricin. K was found 

 to be 0.00149 and the formula used was: 



[(Cone, of free ricin) (cone, of free antiricin) = 



K (Cone, of bound ricin)*.] 



The calculated values agree very well with the observed 

 ones. The equation indicates that of two molecules of ricin 

 and two molecules of antiricin are formed three molecules 

 of innocuous substance. 



Therefore we must suppose that it is probably some other 

 poison in the ricin preparations that causes the death of ani- 

 mals than that which agglutinates the red blood-corpuscles. 

 Therefore the assertion of Ehrlich that the action of ricin 

 in vitro is of the same order as in the living animal, 1 can- 

 not endure a quantitative examination. That these two 

 poisons are not identical is known, but it was possible that 

 they were always present in a given proportion. That this 

 is not the case is seen from Bashford's experience, which 



1 Ehrlich: Fortschrittc der Medicin, No. 2 (1897). 



