204 HEMOLYSIS AND SERUM CYTOTOX1NS 



leucocytosis in the peritoneal fluid. Corresponding with this, if 

 bacteria are injected at the same time as the serum, resistance 

 is found decreased, but later it is much increased. Such serum 

 also contains anticomplement, according to Wassermann, indi- 

 cating that the injected leucocytes contain complement. Leuco- 

 cytotoxin obtained by immunizing against lymphatic tissue is 

 very thermolabile, being destroyed by 55 C. for thirty minutes, 

 and the serum can be only partially reactivated by the use of 

 fresh serum. 



Endotheliolytic Serum. Every attempt at immunizing 

 an animal with any sort of fixed tissue must of necessity 

 involve the injection of endothelial cells as well as the cells speci- 

 fic to the tissue studied. Therefore, it is possible that cytotoxic 

 serum so obtained will contain endothelial toxins and so compli- 

 cate any results of intra vitam experiments. There is every 

 reason to believe that endotheliolytic substances are produced 

 in this way. Ricketts found that serum of animals immunized 

 against lymph-glands was toxic to endothelial cells, which was 

 indicated by hemorrhages at the point of injection, and marked 

 desquamation of endothelium when the injection was made into 

 a serous cavity. In snake- venom poisoning the extensive hemor- 

 rhages are also due to an endotheliolytic principle, called by 

 Flexner hemorrhagin. 



I/ymphatolytic Serum. This serum has been studied 

 by Ricketts and by Flexner, who immunized animals with 

 lymph-glands. As might be expected from the structure of the 

 injected glands, the resulting serum contained endotheliotoxin, 

 leucocytotoxin, hemolysin, hemagglutinin, leucocyto-agglutinin, 

 and precipitins. When injected into animals, this serum has a 

 marked effect upon the spleen and lymph-glands, producing 

 great enlargement and congestion of these structures. The bone- 

 marrow is also somewhat affected, and when marrow is used in 

 immunizing, the mydotoxic serum produces marked proliferative 

 changes in the lymph-glands as well as in the marrow. 



Nephrolytic Serum. It has been claimed that if a 

 kidney is destroyed by ligating its vessels or ureter, the remain- 

 ing kidney develops serious degenerative changes, which are not 

 present if one kidney is entirely removed. This has been 

 attributed to the development of nephrotoxic substances pro- 

 duced in reaction to the absorption of the injured renal tissue 

 that has been left in the body. Other methods of renal injury 

 have been thought to produce similar effects, and serum of ani- 

 mals with kidney disease was said to injure the kidneys of 

 normal animals. Upon this basis it has been thought possible 



