PROTECTIVE INOCULATIONS. 281 
“1. Proto-albumose, deutero-albumose, and a trace of peptone, all with 
the same chemical reactions as the similar bodies formed in peptic digestion. 
2. An alkaloid. 3. Small quantities of leucin or tyrosin. The chief char- 
acteristic of the proto- and deutero-albumose obtained from anthrax cultures 
was found to be their strong alkalinity in solution. This was not removed 
by prolonged dialysis or by washing in alcohol, chloroform, benzene, or ether. 
These proteids are precipitated in an alkaline condition by saturation with 
NaCl (proto-albumose) or (NH,)2S0,.” 
The alkaloid found was soluble in water or in absolute alcohol, 
was strongly alkaline in solution, and readily formed salts with acids. 
Tt was slightly volatile and lost its poisonous properties to a great ex- 
tent when exposed to the air for some time. A mixture of the two 
albumoses was toxic, and when injected into mice in small amounts 
caused a local subcutaneous cedema ending in recovery. Larger 
doses caused more extensive cedema and death. A fatal dose for a 
mouse weighing twenty-two grammes was 0.3 gramme. Boiling for a 
short time diminished the toxicity of these proteids without com- 
pletely destroying it. The alkaloid produced similar symptoms 
when injected into mice, but more promptly and in a smaller dose—0.1 
to 0.15 gramme killed a mouse weighing twenty-two grammes in two 
or three hours. Hankin and Westbrook have more recently (1892) 
made researches with reference to the proteids present in anthrax 
cultures. To obtain an immunizing albumose they cultivated the 
bacillus at 20° C. in flesh-extract solution (1:1,000) to which fibrin 
was added. At the end of eight days a considerable precipitate was 
obtained by means of ammonium sulphate. This was placed in a 
dialyzer in running water at 42° to 45° C.; then precipitated by alco- 
hol and dissolved in a small quantity of water (thirty cubic centime- 
tres)—five hundred cubic centimetres of flesh extract treated in this 
way gave only 0.44 gramme of albumose. Experiments on mice - 
gave some evidence of the immunizing action of this albumose, but 
the results were apparently not so definite as those previously re- 
ported by Hankin. Nor are the experiments of Petermann, who 
followed Hankin’s method (1892), more satisfactory. Arloing ob- 
tained more favorable results by using culture liquids from which 
“the bacilli had been removed by sedimentation. A considerable 
precipitate was obtained when alcohol was added to the culture 
liquid, but it was found that this precipitate had no immunizing effect. 
On the contrary, there remained in solution an immunizing sub- 
stance. This was obtained in a concentrated form by evaporating at 
50° C. in a partial vacuum. Experiments upon lambs showed the 
protective power of this extract, and of the culture liquids before 
‘treatment when injected in considerable quantity. 
