PART III.] Action of Comptessed Oxygen on Germs and " Vibrionsy 577 



such of the fermentation-processes as were dependent on living matter were immediately 

 suspended when subjected to this influence, whereas those fermentations which were 

 due to some material in solution, such as diastase, pancreatine, myrosine, emulsine, etc., 

 were in no way affected. He then turned his attention to certain poisons secreted in 

 health or disease in animals, the venomous secretion of the scorpion, vaccine matter, 

 etc.* 



The venom of the scorpion, whether liquid or dried and re-dissolved in water, 

 resisted the action of compressed oxygen, as was expected, since it owes its activity 

 to a chemical substance akin to the vegetable alkaloids. Fresh liquid vaccine matter 

 was submitted for a week to the action of compressed oxygen and still retained its 

 power undiminished. Pus from a case of glanders after being subjected to similar 

 treatment rapidly killed a horse inoculated with it; hence M. Bert infers that the 

 active principle in vaccine and in glanders is not a living being or living cell. 



M. Bert then exposed some blood from a case of splenic fever (in which were 

 myriads of bacilli) to the action of compressed oxygen, and found that, although the 

 blood had been exposed in very thin layers, it had retained its virulent properties 

 intact, as was proved by its having killed several guinea-pigs inoculated one from 

 the other, but the blood of these animals did not contain bacilli. 



He submitted some other charbon-blood containing numerous bacilli to further 

 examination. Some absolute alcohol was very cautiously added to it, drop by drop, 

 until the volume of the original fluid was quadrupled, and the mixture thus obtained 

 was filtered. The coagulum, well washed in alcohol, was rapidly dried in vacuo. A 

 fragment of this dried material, on being inserted beneath the skin of a guinea-pig, 

 killed the animal in less than twenty-four hours. The blood obtained from this 

 animal proved fatal to another guinea-pig, as also to a dog. Inoculations were conducted 



s 



from one animal to another, but the virulent blood of none of these animals contained 

 bacilli. 



M. Bert went still further. A watery solution was prepared (by exhaustion) of 

 the alcoholic precipitate, and having satisfied himself that this liquid contained the 

 active principle in solution (for, on the addition of more alcohol, a white flocculent 

 precipitate was induced), three successive inoculations of guinea-pigs were conducted. 

 This rather severe treatment, however, had manifestly diminished the virulence of the 

 material, as inoculation was not successful beyond the third animal, and the material 

 proved too weak to kill a dog. 



From these observations M. Bert concluded that the blood in splenic fever contains 

 a toxic and virulent principle, which resists the action, of compressed oxygen and can 

 be isolated in the same manner as diastase. 



These observations had been published in an abbreviated form previous to their 

 being submitted to the Academy. | M. Pasteur had promptly taken up the subject, 



* Comptes Reiidus, t. Ixxxiv, p. 1130, May 1877. 



f Comptes Hendus de la Socicte de Biologie, January 1877. 



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