CHEMICAL PRODUCTS OF BACTERIA. 41 



tioii of the toxic products in filtered culture fluids. Wooldridge, 

 Hankin, and Martin studied the products of Bacillus anthracis. 

 Charrin, and later Woodhead, Wood, and Blagovestchensky, investi- 

 gated on these lines Bacillus pyocyaneus, Eoux and Chamberland 

 experimented with the bacillus of malignant cedema; Eoux with 

 symptomatic anthrax; Chantemesse and Widal with the typhoid 

 bacillus. Roux, Yersin, Brieger, Fraiikel, Mai-tin, and Behring 

 worked on the same lines with diphtheria. Koch introduced 

 tuberculin, Kalning mallein, while others have utilised the products 

 of streptococci and pneumococci. Anrep found an albumose in the 

 medulla of rabid animals, and Babfes claims to have found an 

 albumose in both rabies and glanders. 



Cholera. — Brieger found several ptomaines, including putrescin 

 and cadaverin, ip. pure cultures of the spirillum of Asiatic cholera, 

 and Petri found in addition to poisonous bases a proteid body which 

 produces in guinea-pigs muscular tremors, paralysis, and a rapidly 

 fatal result. Roux and Yersin obtained from cultures a tox-albumin 

 insoluble in water, which kills guinea-pigs in two or three days, 

 but has no effect on rabbits. Pfeifler also investigated the toxic 

 substances in cultures. Chloroform, thymol, and drjdng destroyed 

 comma -bacilli, leaving their toxic products unaffected. Concentrated 

 solutions of neutral salts and boiling produced secondary toxic 

 substances, but the original toxic substances were ten or twenty 

 times more virulent. 



Typhoid Fever.— Typhotoxin (CH^NO^), the alkaloid ob- 

 tained by Brieger from cultures of the typhoid fever bacUlus, produces 

 in mice and guinea-pigs salivation, rapid breathing, dilatation of tl^ 

 pupil, diarrhoea, and 'death in twenty- four to forty-eight hours. At 

 the post-mortem examination the heart is found in a state of systolic 

 contraction, and the condition of the heart after death and the 

 absence of convulsions during life serve to distinguish typhotoxin 

 from an isomeric base obtained by Brieger from putrid horse-flesh. 

 Roux and Yersin have obtained a tox-albumin. It is soluble with 

 difficulty in water, and more toxic to rabbits than guinea-pigs. 



Tetanus Brieger obtained the alkaloid tetanin from impure 



cultures of the tetanus bacillus. It is a base having the formula 

 Qi3jj22]v^2Q4_ - 'jijg hydrochloride is a veiy deliquescent salt, and 

 soluble in alcohol. Tetanin injected into guinea-pigs produces 

 rapid . breathing, followed by tetanic convulsions. Anothei' toxic 

 product, tetanotoxin (C^H^^N), produces the same effects as tetanin. 

 The foi-mula of a third base, spasmotoxin, has not been determined. 

 Cadaverin and putrescin are also present in cultures. Kitasato and 



