

TOXINS. 75 



color, but otherwise no reaction for albumin. It is free from 

 phosphorus and almost entirely free from sulphur. Thus 

 it seems to be demonstrated that the tetanus poison is 

 not an albuminous body. 



Also the cholera and diphtheria poisons are to-day rec- 

 ognized by Brieger and his pupils as non-albuminous, or 

 at least not as c ' albuminous bodies ' ' in the ordinary sense. 

 The statement of Uschinsky, also, that at least certain 

 diphtheria cultures form toxins in non-albuminous nutri- 

 ent media, is not to be questioned. But in contrast to the 

 bacterial toxins the powerful plant-poisons, abrin and ricin, 

 which in their properties present many similarities to the 

 former, are said to be true albuminous bodies. 



Regarding the other properties of these toxins, I will 

 give some of the recent statements, using the tetanus poi- 

 son as an example (Brieger and Cohn, I. c. ). The toxin 

 does not diffuse through membrane, and consequently is 

 purified by dialysis (Fedoroff, C. B. xvi, 484). Watery 

 solutions are not coagulated by heat, but in time lose their 

 poisonous properties. The poisonous property is very 

 much injured by the addition of small amounts of acids 

 or alkalis to the solution and by the prolonged passage 

 through it of carbonic acid and sulphuretted hydrogen. 

 When dry, the toxin withstands 70° for a long time, 

 while higher temperatures destroy it rapidly. In a dry 

 condition, protected from light, air, and moisture, it is 

 slowly converted into an inert body. It keeps better if 

 covered with absolute alcohol, anhydrous ether, and the 

 like. 



The statement is interesting that very small quantities 

 of bile, pancreatic secretion, etc., suffice to destroy large 

 quantities of diphtheria and tetanus poison (Nencki and 

 Sieber, C. B. xxm, 880). According to Ransom, tetanus 

 poison, introduced by mouth, remains unabsorbed and 

 escapes from the body by the rectum (Deut. med. 

 Wochenschr., 1898, No. 8, 117). 



The toxicity of the purest tetanus poison obtainable is 

 almost unbelievable. A mouse weighing 15 gm. is killed 

 by 0.00005 mg. ; a man weighing 70 kilos, if equally sus- 

 ceptible, would be killed by 0.23 mg. Of strychnia, 30 

 to 100 mg. are required to cause death in man. 



