282 VENOMOUS SNAKES AND THE PHENOMENA OF THEIR VENOMS 



THE EFFECTS OF VENOM UPON THE BLOOD CORPUSCLES OF COLD- 

 BLOODED ANIMALS. 



The following article is reprinted from the University of Pennsylvania 

 Medical Bulletin, July- August, 1903: 



In the course of experiments upon haemolysis carried out during the past sum- 

 mer at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Holl, I took advantage of the 

 opportunity to study the agglutinative and lytic action of venom upon the blood 

 corpuscles of a wide series of cold-blooded animals. The study is of sufficient 

 interest, I think, to warrant presenting the results in a tabulated form. (See 

 table 41.) 



The blood was obtained from animals belonging to the classes of reptilia, am- 

 phibia, pisces, insecta, Crustacea, vermes, mollusca, and echinodermata. 



The dried venoms were dissolved either in 0.9 per cent or 2 per cent saline solu- 

 tion immediately before conducting the experiments; the venoms employed were 

 cobra, water- moccasin, and rattlesnake; the blood was used in 5 per cent suspension; 

 the temperature was that of the room, and varied between 20 and 30 C. 



In order to determine the minimum haemolytic, leucolytic, or agglutinative 

 quantity (dose) of venom, the reactions were noted at a fixed interval. Thus, 

 for haemolysis and leucolysis, after 12 hours; for agglutination, after 4 hours of 

 contact. 



While solution of the erythrocytes can be readily observed in test-tube reactions, 

 leucolysis can be determined only by direct microscopic examination. In general, 

 there is no difficulty in distinguishing leucolysis and leuco-agglutination; but in 

 some instances the act of defibrination causes considerable alteration of the white 

 corpuscles, and these cells exhibit a tendency to undergo spontaneous agglomera- 

 tion. When the result was mistakable it was indicated by the use of the term 

 "doubtful." 



The action of venom upon washed corpuscles was also studied, and it was deter- 

 mined that haemolysis occurred not at all with water- moccasin and rattlesnake 

 venom, while with the cobra venom a delayed solution would set in. This result 

 with cobra venom recalled the similar one which Professor Flexner 1 and I had 

 met with in our studies of cobra-venom haemolysis in warm-blooded animals, and 

 is now sufficiently explained on the basis of the existence of intracorpuscular com- 

 plements as observed by us and by Kyes, 2 and of Kyes's important researches on 

 lecithin in relation to its action as complement to cobra-venom amboceptor. 



The heat liability of venom agglutinins for the blood cells of cold-blooded ani- 

 mals was found to vary between 68 C. and 72 C. for an exposure of 30 minutes. 

 The temperature of 100 C. maintained for 30 minutes abolishes largely the haemo- 

 lytic power of venom over these corpuscles. Crotalus venom proved most susceptible, 

 as its activity is greatly reduced at 90 C. in 30 minutes. 



1 Flexner and Noguchi. The constitution of snake venom and snake sera. Univ. of Penna. Medical 

 Bulletin, 1902, XV, 345; Journal of Pathology and Bacteriology, 1903, VIII, 379. 



1 Kyes. Ueber die Wirkungsweise des Cobragiftes. Berliner klin. Wochenschrift, 1902, 886, 918. 

 Kyes and Sachs: Zur Kenntniss der Cobragift activirenden Substanzen. Berliner klin. Wochen- 

 schrift, 1903, XLI, 21, 57, 82. 



