INTERACTIONS BETWEEN VENOM AND ANTIVENIN 



251 



The rise of the minimal haemolyzing doses through the fractions of the 

 serum necessary for complete neutralization was as follows: 



TABLE 27. 



o.ooi gm. venom alone 0.000005 && 



+0.1 c.c. serum 0.000025 



+0.2 0.00005 



+ 0.4 0.00008 



+0.6 0.00017 



+ 0.8 0.0005 



In another way the above results can be summarized as follows : 

 o.ooi gm. of venom contains 10,000 -=- 5 = 2,000 minimal haemolyzing 

 doses. With o.i c.c. of serum necessary for a complete neutralization it now 

 contains 10,000 -f- 25 = 400 minimal haemolyzing doses. If we arbitrarily 

 call the number of combining equivalents in o.ooi gm. of venom 130, the above 

 fraction neutralized i, 600 minimal haemolyzing doses per 10 equivalents. On 

 the theory of simple neutralization we should have neutralized 2,000 -f- 13 = 

 153 minimal haemolyzing doses. Myers gives the following calculations: 



TABLE 28. 



It will be seen at once that the interaction of the cobralysin and its antilysin 

 is very different from that of a single neutralization, say of a strong acid by a 

 strong base. If we explain this reaction according to the toxoid theory of 

 Ehrlich, as was done by Myers, the results may be represented as in figure i. 



FIG. a. 



