172 MICROBES AND TOXINS 



venous injection is essential. By intravenous injection of young 

 microbes, Besredka obtained anti-endotoxins which, both in 

 vitro and in the animal, neutralise the toxic action of the 

 bacterial bodies. Since the production of antitoxin is the 

 essential character of toxins, these experiments would prove 

 the reality of endotoxins as specific poisons. 



It is difficult to say to what degree the sera hitherto 

 prepared against typhoid, plague, and dysentery are anti- 

 microbic or antitoxic, i.e., active against infection or against 

 intoxication. 



Although inferior to antidiphtheritic or antitetanic sera, the 

 antidysenterid and antiplague sera have already given results 

 sufficiently good to encourage us to bring to perfection the 

 endotoxins and their anti-endotoxins. 



