852 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVI. No. 413. 



much that is new and important to our 

 knowledge of this subject. He finds that 

 the washed blood corpuscles of certain ani- 

 mals are directly dissolved by cobra venom, 

 while those of other animal species require 

 the subsequent addition of complements 

 or adjuvants to bring them -under the in- 

 fluence of the venom. But even in the 

 former case a complementary body is es- 

 sential to the reaction, this, however, being 

 not a serum complement, but an endocom- 

 plement contained within the red cor- 

 puscles. Of great signifieance is the 

 demonstration by Kyes of still a third sub- 

 stance, namely lecithin, which is capable 

 through combination with the venom inter- 

 mediary body of completing the liEemolytic 

 potency of venom.* The discovery for 

 the first time of a definite, crystallizable 

 substance with the power of uniting, like 

 a complement, with an interniediary body, 

 and thus completing the formation of a 

 cytotoxin, is evidently of fundamental im- 

 portance. The suggestion by Ehrlich and 

 Kyes that possibly the cholin group is the 

 toxophore group of lecithin is particularly 

 interesting in the light of F. W. Mott's 

 valuable studies of chemical processes con- 

 cerned in degenerations of the nervous 

 system. 



The researches of Plexner and Noguchi 

 and of Kyes, therefore, have taught us that 

 in poisoning by venom the bodies of human 

 beings and of animals contain in the form 

 of complements, or alexinsf as they are also 

 called, the substances which are most di- 



* The objections made by Calmette [Gompt. 

 Rend. Acad, des Sc, 1902, T. CXXXIV., No. 24) 

 to Flexner and Noguehi's interpi-etation of their 

 experiments as to tlie amboceptor nature of venom 

 have been completely overthrown by the experi- 

 ments of Preston Kyes. 



t There is some objection to the use o the term 

 ' alexin ' as a synonym for ' complement ' as the 

 former was applied originally by Buehner to sub- 

 stances which we now know to be combinations 

 of complements with intermediary bodies. 



reetly concerned in the act of poisoning. 

 The venom serves merely to bring into the 

 necessary relation with constituents of the 

 body cells poisons we already harbor or 

 may generate, but which are harmless with- 

 out the intervention of intermediary bodies. 

 These' poisons Avithin us are powei'ful 

 weapons, Avhich when seized by hostile 

 hands may be turned with deadly effect 

 against oiir own cells, but which are also 

 our main defence against parasitic in- 

 vaders. We see here as everywhere that 

 nature is neither kind nor cruel, but sim- 

 ply obedient to law. 



Plexner and Noguchi have demonstrated 

 experimentally that, like the hajmolytic, so 

 also the leukotoxic, the neurotoxic, and 

 other cytotoxic properties of venom de- 

 pend upon combinations of venom inter- 

 mediary bodies with complements contained 

 in the cells poisoned by venom or in the 

 fluids bathing these cells. Particularly 

 striking are their experiments showing mi 

 vitro and under the microscope the cyto- 

 lytic action of cobra venom upon certain 

 large molluscan nerve cells in the fresh 

 state. The complement essential to this 

 reaction is contained within the nerve cells. 

 In previous exi^eriments of Plexner and 

 Noguchi there had been indications that a 

 special class of intracellular complements 

 are concerned in some of the toxic effects 

 of venom upon cells. The positive de- 

 monstration by Preston Kyes of a special 

 class of intercellular complements or en- 

 docomplements is unquestionably of great 

 pathological interest, and seems destined to 

 play an important part in the explanation 

 of many morbid conditions in connection 

 both with endogenic and with exogenic in- 

 toxications, probably also in such phe- 

 nomena as self-digestion or autolysis. 



Snake venom is a rich mine of diverse 

 toxins, and, on account of its pathological 

 importance, I must mention one of the 

 cj^totoxins discovered there by Plexner and 



