NEUTRALISATION OF SIMPLE POISONS 



209 



of the neutralisation of different snake-poisons by their 

 antibodies. These are specific, i.e. they do not react 

 except with the particular poison that was used in the 

 injection. The cobra-antitoxin was secured from horse 

 blood, the two others from goat blood. The snake- 

 venoms contain different poisons, of which some are 

 haemolytic, others react chiefly upon the nervous system 

 and are lethal for animals. The antibodies neutralise the 

 lysins as well as the other poisons. 



In the process of neutralisation, the lysins of the snake 

 venoms behave rather like strong bases, the constant of 

 equilibrium being nearly zero. This agrees well with the 

 results of the older experiments of Kyes. 



The following tables give the details. The poisons and 

 their antibodies were allowed to react during three hours 

 at 37 C., the total volume being always the same for the 

 same poison. After the reaction they were mixed with 

 8 c.c. of blood suspension. 



NEUTRALISATION OF i c.c. OF 0.05 PER CENT CROTALOLYSIN BY MEANS OF 

 n c.c. OF ANTIVENIN (5 PER CENT DOG BLOOD) 



