692 
CH,.0H C0.0H 
GH, + 0,=>¢H, 
N(CH,),0H N(CH,),0H; 
(Cholin) (Trimethylglycocoll) 
CH,.0H CH,.0H 
OH, + 0=>CH.OH 
N(CH,),0H N(CH,),0H. 
(Musearin: Dioxyethyltri- 
methyl-ammonium-hydrox- 
ide. ) 
The structural formule show the little 
change that is necessary to convert an in- 
nocuous substance into a very poisonous 
one, and vice versa. Cholin is only poison- 
ous in large doses while very small doses 
of neurin and muscarin are highly poison- 
ous. Betain is not poisonous. 
Methylguanidin (NH : <n (CH,)); 
ae) 
CH,.NH,/’ 
and tyrotoxicon (diazobenzene-potassoxide, 
C,H,.N,,OK) are three other poisonous 
ptomains whose chemical structure is well 
known. Typhotoxin (C,H,,NO,) is said to 
be the toxin which gives rise to the typhoid 
intoxication, and Brieger has been able to 
separate from tetanus cultures four bases : 
tetanin (C,,H,,N,O,), tetanotoxin (C,H,,N), 
spasmotoxin and one other unnamed toxin. 
According to Brieger, each of these is ca- 
pable of inducing tetanic intoxication. 
Against this last statement is opposed the 
further statement that tetanus toxin is a 
toxalbumin. 
Roux, Yersin and others succeeded in 
isolating, seemingly in a state of purity, 
from the cultures of the Klebs-Loeffler 
bacillus a toxalbumin, soluble in water, 
which when inoculated into a guinea-pig 
produced the phenomena characteristic of 
diphtheria. Prosecuting this line of inves- 
tigation, these and other investigators have 
isolated characteristic toxalbumins from 
trimethylenediamine (CH, Be 
SCIENCE. 
[N.S. Von. XIII. No. 331. 
cultures of other germs. These toxalbu- 
mins have been divided into two principal 
groups by Brieger and Frankel, the classi- 
fication being based upon their solubility. 
As previously stated, they are proteid-like 
bodies, highly complex and poisonous. 
Their further properties may be considered 
later ; but in passing, an idea of their viru- 
lence should be given. 
“A tetanus toxin has been prepared, of 
which 0.00005 milligram killed a mouse 
weighing 15 grams; a man weighing 70 
kilograms, with the same susceptibility, 
would be killed by 0.23 milligrams. This 
would make the poison 300 times more 
potent than strychnine.” 
Closely related to the toxins which arise 
as products of bacterial activity there is 
another group of toxic substances which 
arise in the living animal tissues as the 
products of either hyper or of retrograde 
metabolism of the protoplasm, or result 
from fermentative action. Some of these 
are proteid-like bodies (toxalbumins), while 
others are organic bases (leucomains) not 
unlike the vegetable alkaloids. 
The chemical structure of many of the 
leucomains is well known; but the same 
cannot be said of the toxalbumins. The 
development of their structure must await 
the unraveling of the proteids—their chem- 
istry seems to flow in channels parallel 
with the chemistry of the albumins, globu- 
lins, albuminates, proteoses and peptones. 
At least the poisonous principle clings to 
these products. 
The venom of the snake belongs to this 
class. According to the researches of S. 
Weir Mitchell, E.T. Reichert, T. R. Fraser 
and others, snake venom is a very complex 
mixture containing in addition to the poi- 
sonous substances several bodies that are 
non-poisonous. The poisonous substances 
are notferments. Fraser says: ‘‘ They are 
substances that produce effects having a 
direct relationship to the quantity intro- 
