424 A MANUAL OF BACTERIOLOGY 



Millon and xanthoproteic reactions. It is not precipitated 

 by most metallic salts, and is not carried down by Roux 

 and Yersin's method of precipitation with calcium phos- 

 phate. It contains no phosphorus and only traces of 

 sulphur. Of the most active preparation 0-00000005 grm. 

 killed a mouse. 



In a case of tetanus examined by Sidney Martin, an 

 albumose, chiefly deutero-albumose, was extracted from 

 the blood. Injected into an animal, it produced depression 

 of temperature, followed by progressive wasting, but no 

 spasm or paralysis. 



Antitoxin. If an animal is cautiously injected with 

 tetanus toxin, commencing the treatment with a weakened 

 toxin, and increasing the dose very gradually, a high 

 degree of immunity is ultimately obtained, and the blood- 

 serum acquires marked antitoxic properties. The toxin 

 is obtained by growing the tetanus bacillus in bouillon in 

 an atmosphere of hydrogen for about three weeks, and 

 filtering through porous porcelain. To obtain an active 

 serum treatment has to be prolonged, a horse immunised 

 by the writer requiring six months. The antitoxic serum 

 so obtained is by far the most active of any of the sera, 

 and is now recognised as the proper remedy to use in cases 

 of tetanus in man. The antitoxic treatment of tetanus 

 is not nearly so successful as that of diphtheria, and for 

 this reason : in diphtheria, in a large proportion of the 

 cases, a local manifestation is present to aid diagnosis 

 before any serious absorption of the toxin has taken place, 

 whereas in tetanus the disease is only recognisable by the 

 symptoms induced by such absorption. Nevertheless, 

 tetanus antitoxin should always be employed not only 

 in the fully developed disease, but also in certain cases as 

 a prophylactic. As the toxin is at once fixed by the nerve- 

 tissue, the antitoxin should be injected into the central 

 nervous system in order to obtain immediate action. 



