Resorption of the formed elements 87 



livary glands exerted a feeble solvent action on a certain quantity of 

 the red corpuscles. The other organs, such as the liver, kidneys, [93] 

 brain, spinal cord, ovary, testicles, suprarenal capsules and placenta, 

 exercised no such action. Even bone marrow, in agreement with my 

 results published some years ago, showed itself quite inactive. 



The blood serum of guinea-pigs which I employed in my researches, 

 as well as that of the animals examined by Tarassewitch, has not 

 shown itself capable of dissolving the red blood corpuscles of the 

 goose, although the macrophagic organs dissolve them easily. It has 

 long been known, however, that the serum of the blood of many 

 animals will destroy the red corpuscles of a different species. This 

 demonstration was afforded during the period when attempts were 

 being made to transfuse the defibrinated blood of mammals, espe- 

 cially of the sheep, into man. This practice had to be abandoned, 

 in consequence of the difficulties resulting from the solution of the 

 human red corpuscles. Later, Daremberg^ and Buchner'^ set them- 

 selves to study this haemolytic action of serums systematically. They 

 found that it was due to a particular substance to which Buchner 

 gave the name of alexine or protective substance. Of indetermiiiate 

 chemical composition, this substance is allied to albuminoid sub- 

 stances. It is destroyed when heated to 55° — 56° C. and only acts in 

 the presence of certain salts. When these salts are removed from the 

 serum by dialysis, it loses its haemolytic power; but as soon as the 

 salts are replaced in proper proportion this power reappears. Later, 

 Buchner^ compared the action of alexine to that of soluble ferments 

 and referred it to the category of the digestive diastases. According 

 to him the same alexine is capable of dissolving the red blood 

 corpuscles of several species of Vertebrates. Bordet^ in a series of 

 researches made in the Pasteur Institute, confirmed this view. He 

 came to the conclusion that the alexines of the various species of 

 animals differ from one another. Thus, the alexine of the blood 

 serum of the rabbit is not the same as that found in the serum 

 of the guinea-pig or dog. Nevertheless each of these alexines is 

 capable of exerting a solvent action on the red blood corpuscles of 

 several species. 



1 Arch, cle med. exper.^ Paris, 1891, t. ni, p. 720. 



2 Verhandl. d. X. Congr.f. inn. Med., Wiesbaden, 1892. 



3 Munchen. med. Wchnschr., 1900, S. 1193. 



4 Ann. de FInst. Pasteur, Paris, 1899, t. xiii, p. 273 ; 1901, t. xv, p. 312. 



