CHOLERA TOXINS 443 



poison is a tox- albumin formed in the culture medium, 

 but that immunising substances are derived from the 

 bacterial cells. 



Rontaler compared the chemical products of the ordinary 

 cholera and of the Massowah spirilla, and could find little 

 difference between them. 



Wesbrook 1 obtained albumoses and other bodies from 

 alkali-albumin, egg, and Uschinsky medium, cultures. 

 This observer also found aerobic cultures of the cholera 

 vibrio to be much more toxic than anaerobic ones. 



Pfeiffer found that cholera cultures killed with chloro- 

 .form vapour contained a toxic substance fatal to guinea- 

 pigs in small doses, with extreme collapse. He believed 

 the substance to be an integral part of the bacterial cells. 



Metchnikoff, 2 Roux and Salimbeni demonstrated the 

 existence of a soluble cholera-poison in a very ingenious 

 manner. Collodion sacs of 2 c.c. to 3 c.c. capacity were 

 sterilised, filled with peptone solution, inoculated with 

 the cholera spirillum, and closed. The closed sac was 

 then introduced into the peritoneal cavity of a guinea-pig, 

 which died in three or four days from the effects of the 

 soluble toxins dialysing through the walls of the sac (see 

 also next page). 



Brau and Dernier 3 obtained a toxic filtrate by culti- 

 vating the cholera vibrio in a medium consisting of horse- 

 serum with an addition of 10 per cent, of defibrinated 

 horse-blood. 



Macfadyen obtained a highly toxic endotoxin by tritura- 

 ting cholera cultures with liquid air. 4 



Emmerich 5 strongly supports the view that the cholera 

 intoxication is not a toxin intoxication, but is due to 



1 Journ. of Path, and Bact., vol. iv, 1896, p. 1. 



2 Ann. de VInst. Pasteur, x, 1896, p. 257. 



3 Ibid, xx, 1906. 



4 Lancet, 1906, vol. ii, p. 494. 



6 Munch, med. Wochenschr., 1911, No. 18, p. 942. 



