THE LYSINS. 143 



gern suggests the possibility of using an epitheliolysin in the de- 

 struction of the unrecognizable cancer cells that may remain in the 

 tissue after excision by the surgeon. 



In a second communication von Dungern^ has shown that rabbits 

 and guinea-pigs immunized to cow's milk produce sera which act 

 upon ciliated epithelial cells and also possess slight hemolytic 

 properties. 



Lindemann,^ in carrying out his investigations concerning the 

 action of vinylamin on the kidneys recalled the fact, discovered by 

 Claude Bernard, that the serum of an animal injected intravenously 

 into an animal of another species induces a more or less permanent 

 albuminuria. This led him to endeavor to strengthen the action of 

 a heterologous serum by treating the animal with an emulsion of the 

 kidney substance. The kidney of a rabbit was rubbed up into an 

 emulsion and this was introduced into the peritoneal cavity of a 

 tguinea-pig. From the latter animal there was obtained a serum 

 which when injected intravenously into rabbits caused rapid destruc- 

 tion of the kidneys of these animals. The following experiment 

 illustrates the work done : A rabbit which had received without 

 apparent effect eight c.c. of the serum of a normal guinea-pig, was 

 seven days later given a like amount of the serum of a guinea-pig 

 which had been treated with the renal emulsion. The latter injec- 

 tion provoked albuminuria within a few hours, followed within two 

 days by complete anuria and death. The kidneys of this rabbit 

 presented histological lesions closely resembling those found in ani- 

 mals killed by the administration of renal poisons. There was 

 marked disintegration and necrosis of the epithelium of the convo- 

 luted tubules. The greater part of the tubules were transformed 

 into granular masses containing pycnotic nuclei. The nuclei which 

 persisted were not found to show evidences of chromatolysis, which 

 is .characteristic of coagulation necrosis, induced by metallic salts, 

 but they resemble those found after poisoning with vinylamin and 

 in which the alterations in the protoplasm precede changes in the 

 nuclei. The glomeruli did not present any specific alteration. 

 Numerous granular casts were found in the straight tubules. The 

 serum of animals treated with emulsions of kidney is said to be 

 nephrolytic, and the specific toxin contained in such serum is known 

 as nephrolysin. 



In a second communication Lindemann ' found that the serum of 

 dogs which were suffering from nephritis induced by intravenous in- 

 jections of chromate of potash, has marked nephrolytic effect when 

 injected into other dogs and causes a severe nephritis terminating in 

 death. Schiitze,* by treating rabbits with emulsions of the kidneys 



' Milnchener med. Wochenschrift, 1900. 

 ^ Annates de V Instiiut Pasteur, 14, 1900. 

 s Centralhlattf. Pathologie, 1900. 

 * Deutsche med. Wochenschrift, 1900. 



