GASTROTOXIN 



artery and vein, are ligatured, no such results follow, though the 

 whole substance of the kidney is absorbed. These and other 

 researches make it very doubtful whether the facts observed in 

 nephritis are explicable on the nephrotoxic theory alone, but 

 further information on the subject is needed. 



The degree of specificity of the nephrotoxic serum is not yet 

 settled. According to Pearce, the lesions which it produces may 

 be caused by other sera. This has been confirmed by other 

 observers, but Woltmann, though in accordance with Pearce on 

 the main question, thinks that nephrotoxin does exhibit some 

 degree of specificity : it produces marked congestion of the 

 medulla and swelling of the cortex, results not seen with other 

 sera. Beebe also finds nephrotoxic sera produced by the injection 

 of nucleo-proteid prepared from the kidney cause renal lesions, 

 whereas other cytotoxic sera produced by the injection of other 

 nucleo-proteids do not. 



Gastrotoxic serum is especially interesting in view of its possible 

 action in the production of gastric ulcer. It has been very 

 thoroughly studied by Bolton, and was prepared by injecting 

 rabbits with emulsions or extracts of guinea-pig's gastric mucous 

 membrane into the rabbit. The serum thus obtained was injected 

 into guinea-pigs, and was found to be lethal, even in small doses 

 (i to 5 c.c.) ; a dose of 10 c.c. usually caused death in twenty-four 

 hours. The lesions were confined to the stomach, and were 

 striking and characteristic. They consisted of patches of necrosis 

 extending down to the muscularis mucosae, and often surrounded 

 by a haemorrhagic infiltration of the surrounding tissues. After 

 a time this necrotic tissue disappeared, leaving an ulcer presenting 

 some resemblance to the ordinary acute gastric ulcer. These 

 appearances (necrosis, etc.) were not seen if the acidity of the 

 gastric juice was neutralized by alkalis. No very definite action 

 could be demonstrated on gastric mucous membrane in vitro, but 

 isolated cells exposed to the action of the serum became hyaline 

 in appearance, resembling shadows. Further, the serum had a 

 powerfully agglutinating action on gastric cells, and produced a 

 precipitate in clear solutions obtained by filtration through a 

 Berkefeld filter. 



Interesting facts were discovered as regards its specificity. It 

 is haemolytic, but this appears to be due to the fact that it 

 contains haemolysin as well as gastrotoxin. This is shown as 

 follows : If the serum is heated it loses its power to produce the 



