ANTHRAX. 49 



that this bacillus does not produce any soluble poison. The first 

 successful attempt to study the chemical poison of anthrax was made 

 by Hoffa, who obtained from pure cultures of the bacUlus small 

 quantities of a ptomain which, when injected under the skin of 

 animals, produces the symptoms of the disease and death. This 

 substance causes at first increased respiration and action of the heart 

 then the respirations become deep, slow and irregular ; the temper- 

 ature falls below the normal, the pupils are dilated, and a bloody 

 diarrhoea sets it. On section the heart is found contracted the 

 blood dark, and ecchymoses are observed on the pericardium and 

 peritoneimi. Hofia named this poison anthracin, and later he re- 

 ported that he had succeeded in isolating it from the bodies of ani- 

 mals dead from anthrax. It must be admitted that Hoffa's claims 

 are not altogether satisfectory, and that they lack confirmation. 

 Moreover, the small amount of the basic substance which he ob- 

 tained renders it highly probable that in the case of a germ so viru- 

 lent as that of anthrax, there must be other chemical poisons pro- 

 duced. In 1889 Eankin, by growing the anthrax bacillus for some 

 days in a nutritive solution consisting of Liebig's meat extract to 

 which fibrin had been added, filtering and treating the filtrate with 

 ammonium sulphate, obtained an albumose which, while not directly 

 poisonous to animals, when injected simultaneously with an inocula- 

 tion of the anthrax bacillus, causes more speedy death than when 

 the bacillus only is used. From these observations Hankin con- 

 cluded that the albumose destroys the natural resistance of the ani- 

 mal to the disease, after which the bacillus is able to continue the 

 elaboration of the poison in the animal body. 



Martin, by growing the anthrax bacillus for from ten to fifteen 

 days in an aiahne albuminate from blood serum, and then by filtra- 

 tion through porcelain, obtains the following products : 



1. Protoalbumose and deuteroalbumose, and a trace of pepton, 

 all of which react chemically like similar substances prepared by 

 peptic digestion. 



2. An alkaloid. 



3. Smiall quantities of leucin and tyrosin. 



The most characteristic property of the albumoses is that their 

 solutions are strongly alkaline, and the alkalinity is not removed by 

 ether, or by dialysis. 



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

 is insoluble in chloroform, ether and benzol. Its solutions are 

 strongly alkaline and the alkaloid forms crystalline salts with acids. 

 It is precipitated by the general alkaloidal reagents, with the excep- 

 tion of potassio-mercuric iodid. It is somewhat volatile and loses its 

 poisonous properties on exposure to the air. 



The mixed albumoses are poisonous only when considerable doses 

 are taken, 0.3 gram being required to kill a mouse of 22 grams 

 4 



