SNAKE VENOMS AND THEIR ANTISERA 139 



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. Lecithin is 

 also able to reactivate the haemolysins of cobra 

 venom, forming, according to Kyes, a "cobra- 

 lecithid." Recent experiments by Manwaring, 2 

 however, show that the product obtained by Kyes 

 was really a venom-free lecithin derivative and not 

 a "lecithid." 



Antivenins. Calmette was the first to produce 

 an antiserum against snake venom, utilizing for 

 this purpose rabbits. He began with injections of 

 Jv 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 



1 Noguchi, Journ. Exper. Medicine, Vol. ix, 1907. 



2 Manwaring, Johns Hopkins Hospital Bulletin, September, 

 1910, 



