GLOBULINS AND PEPTONES AS LOCAL POISONS. 51 



CHAPTER VI. 



THE GLOBULINS AND PEPTONES COMPARED AS REGARDS LOCAL 

 POISONOUS ACTIVITY. 



It seems needful at this place to consider the relative local toxic capacity of 

 globulins and peptones, the two substances found in varying quantities in all venoms 

 as yet examined. 



In order to do this effectively it will be needful at the risk of anticipating a part 

 of what belongs strictly speaking to the pathological section, to speak briefly of 

 the macroscopical lesions brought about at the seat of injection by these potent 

 substances. 



What takes place intensely where the injection needle enters, but represents in 

 a violent and coarser manner lesions to be found soon or late throughout the 

 body, and this especially applies to entire venom and to the globulins. These 

 studies of local changes are not without definite explanatory value. It has long 

 since been shown that the cobra and the rattlesnake are distinctive poisoners, and 

 now our latest work seems to explain just why this is so, and enables us to see 

 already that what might efficiently aid one bitten by the Indian serpent, would be 

 by no means sure to succor the victim of our own less fatal snake. 



Venom Peptones. Local Action. — The albuminous elements of venoms are, as 

 already shown, two in number, and belong by virtue of their reactions respectively to 

 the classes, peptone and globulin. Hence, as we now see with clearness, it is easy to 

 separate them by boiling, ivhich if brief destroys the globulin as a poison and leaves 

 the peptone unaltered. When after boiling we inject the fluid and coagula, we 

 still poison, if the dose be large, for the venom peptone is toxically unchanged. The 

 wound shows, however, hardly any of the singular appearances which characterize 

 lesions due to fresh or unboiled venom. Boiling leaves the poison less active 

 locally. If continued it also affects more or less the general toxicity, but this 

 influence is most marked in the Crotaline venoms, because in them the peptone is 

 least in amount and is also the least deadly of the two constituent poisons. 



Venom Peptone. — When venom peptone in full dose is injected into the breast of 

 a pigeon, if the animal dies within an hour or two, there is scarcely any appreci- 

 able local effect, as will be clearly seen by examining the results of experiments 

 recorded in the chapter on the influence of various agents on the poisonous activity 

 of venom. If the dose be smaller, so that life is prolonged, the first local effect 

 observed is a considerable cedematous swelling without any dark discoloration. 

 After the lapse of about eighteen hours there is apt to be some discoloration, and 

 generally a discharge of muddy putrescent serum. If the animal be killed after a 



