?66 



PHARMACEUTICAL BACTERIOLOGY 



V 2. Concentrated Diphtheric Antitoxin 



"While the chemical nature of antitoxin is not known, it has been deter- 

 mined that it is united, in some way, with the globulins of the blood. The 

 attempts to isolate antitoxin have resulted in the manufacture of a refined 

 or concentrated antidiphtheric serum which is used quite extensively 



Fig. 66. — Container with diphtheria antitoxin, suppUed with hypodermic needle, 

 piston, all ready for immediate use by the physician. The plunger is simply a homeo- 

 pathic vial with rubber stopper. (,Cutler Laboratory.) 



though it does not meet with the unqualified favor accorded the antidiph- 

 theric serum. The process of manufacture is as follows : 



a. The antidiphtheric serum is saturated with ammonium sulphate 

 which precipitates the globuHns (containing the antitoxin) in the form of a 

 white mass. It is then filtered and the filtrate rejected. 



b. The precipitate left on the filter is redissolved in water and this solu- 

 tion is again treated with ammonium sulphate as in (a). The object in 

 redissolving in water is to wash the globulins. 



