SNAKE VENOMS AND THEIR ANTISERA 137 



the other cytotoxic substances of venom consist of 

 amboceptors which find a complement in the body 

 of the poisoned animal. Not only does ordinary 

 serum-complement serve for activation, but, accord- 

 ing to Noguchi, 1 the fatty acids contained in the red 

 blood cells also act as complement. 



Antivenins. Calmette was the first to produce 

 an antiserum against snake venom, utilizing for 

 this purpose rabbits. He began with injections of 

 sV of a fatal dose, and injected gradually increasing 

 doses until at the end of four or five weeks the 

 animals tolerated double a fatal dose. By con- 

 tinuing the treatment he finally got the animals 

 to stand 80 fatal doses (40 mg.) without any 

 reaction whatever. Five drops of the serum of such 

 an animal neutralized i mg. cobra poison. It 

 has been found that anticobra serum protects 

 against the neurotoxic components of other snake 

 venoms, furthermore against scorpion poison and 

 the poison of eel blood. The serum also contains 

 an antihaemolysin, but no antibody against haemor- 

 rhagin (of the rattlesnake). It is therefore without 

 effect on rattlesnake venom. Antivenin for the 

 latter may be prepared by immunizing goats with 

 corresponding venoms which have been attenuated 

 by weak acids. Such a serum, of course, possesses 

 no antineurotoxin and is therefore useless against 

 cobra and viper venoms. 



* Noguchi, Jpurn. Exper. Medicine, Vol, ix, 1907. 



