42 BACTERIOLOGY. 



Weyl analysed the products of pure-cviltures, and obtained the same 

 substances, tetanin and tetanotoxin ; and subsequently Brieger and 

 Frankel found that in pure-cultures a tox-albumin could be 

 obtained which is soluble in water, and infinitely more active tlian 

 the toxic ptomaines. 



Anthrax.— In 1887 Wooldridge succeeded in protecting rabbits 

 from anthrax by a new method. A proteid body obtained from the 

 testis and from the thymus gland was used as the culture fluid. 

 This proteid substance was dissolved in dilute alkaH, and the solution 

 sterilised by repeated boiling. This was inoculated with the anthrax 

 bacillus, and kept at 37° C. for two or three days. A small quantity 

 of the filtered culture fluid injected into the circulation in rabbits 

 produced immunity from anthrax. Subcutaneous inoculation of 

 extremely virulent anthrax blood, made simultaneously with the injec- 

 tion of the protecting fluid, produced no effect. Wooldridge showed 

 that the growth of the anthrax bacillus in special culture fluids 

 gave rise to a substance which, when injected into the organism, 

 protected not only against an immediate but also subsequent attacks. 

 In 1889 Hankin worked under the guidance of Koch in the 

 Hygienic Institute of Berlin. The acquired tolerance of the effect 

 of ordinary albumoses, and the experiments of Sewall, who pro- 

 duced immunity against lethal doses of the albumose of snake 

 poison by the injection of minute doses, led Hankin to expect that 

 an albumose developed in anthrax cultures, arid that the anthrax 

 albumose would probably confer immunity from the disease. Hankhi 

 succeeded in isolating it from culture fluids. It was precipitated by 

 excess of absolute alcohol, well washed in alcohol to free it from 

 addition of ptomaines, filtered, dried, then redissolved and filtered 

 through a Chamberland filter. With this substance Hankin suc- 

 ceeded in producing immunity in mice and rabbits. 



Sidney Martin, working quite independently, grew anthrax bacilli 

 in a solution of pure alkali albumin made from serum proteids. After 

 ten or fifteen days the organisms were removed by filtration throvxgh 

 a Chamberland filter. The filtrate contained p)-oto-alhumose and 

 deutero-alhuniose, a trace of peptone, an alkaloid, and small quantities 

 of leuciii and tyrosin. The mixture of albumoses proved poisonous 

 to mice. The anthrax alkaloid produced symptoms and lesions 

 similar to the albumoses, but mvich more rapidly and severely. It 

 is an amorphous yellow body, soluble in alcohol and alkaline in 

 reaction. Martin concluded that the anthrax bacillus formed the 

 albumoses and the alkaloid by digesting the alkaU albumin ; and 

 .suggested that the alkalinity of the albumoses explained their toxiC 



