ANTHRAX, 103 



he obtained rendered it highly probable that in the case of 

 a germ so virulent as that of anthrax there must be other 

 cliemic^al poisons produced. This supposition has been con- 

 firmed by the labors of Hankin, who, in 1889, while at 

 work in Koch's laboratory, prepared from cultures of 

 the bacillus anthracis an albumose which, when employed 

 in comparatively large amount, proved fatal to animals, 

 but when used in very small quantity gave immunity 

 against subsequent inoculations with the living germ. 

 Unfortunately, Hankin does not mention the symptoms 

 induced by toxical doses of this substance. Whether or 

 not the albumose of Hankin contains in statu nascendi 

 the base of Hoffa, and owes its poisonous projierties to 

 the same, has not been determined. 



Brieger and Frankel obtained the poisonous proteid 

 of anthrax from animals in which the disease had been 

 induced by inoculation with the bacillus. The liver, spleen, 

 lungs, and kidneys of these animals were finely divided 

 and rubbed up with ^vater. After this had stood in a 

 refrigerator for twelve hours it was passed through a 

 Chamberland filter and the proteid precipitated from the 

 filtrate with absolute alcohol. 



Martin, by growing the anthrax bacillus for from ten 

 to fifteen days in an alkaline albuminate from blood serum 

 and filtration through porcelain, obtains the following 

 metabolic products : 



1. Protoalbumose and deuteroalbumose and a trace of 

 peptone. All of these react chemically like similar sub- 

 stances prepared by pejDtio digestion. 



2. An alkaloid. 



3. Small quantities of leucin and tyrosin. 



The most characteristic property of the albumoses is that 

 their solutions are strongly alkaline, and the alkalinity is 

 no't removed by treatment with alcohol, benzol, chloroform, 

 or ether, or by dialysis. 



The alkaloid is "soluble in water, alcohol, and amylic 

 alcohol ; insoluble in chloroform, ether, and benzol. Its 

 solutions are strongly alkaline and the alkaloid forms crys- 

 talline salts with acids. It is precipitated l)y the general 



