TOXINS AND ANTITOXINS. 17 



microbe on the elements or the liquids of the organ- 

 ism. 



The occurrence that takes place in diphtheria 

 and tetanus is one of the best examples to cite in 

 support of this view. 



Here, in fact, the pathogenic microbe is found 

 only in a very limited area in the organism attacked 

 — the false membrane, in the case of diphtheria, or 

 frequently only a slight wound in the case of 

 tetanus, and the microbe becomes localized there 

 only. Now, in both cases, there are general 

 phenomena of toxic effects. There must hence be 

 a diffusion of toxic substances which, distributed 

 by the blood, affect the different systems and 

 exert a toxic action on the entire organism. 



It must be observed that the toxins act as toxic 

 agents only when in a condition to be intro- 

 duced into the circulation subcutaneously. The 

 cause of this innocuousness of the toxins when 

 given per os has frequently been studied. It 

 appears to be quite probable that the cause of 

 the attenuation of the morbid properties is due 

 to the interveniton of the digestive microbes. 

 Such is the opinion of Levaditi and Charrin * ; it 

 is also the conclusion that is to be drawn from the 

 experiments of Mme. Metchnikoff and of Cal- 



* Charrin and Levaditi : Le sort de toxines introduites dans 

 le tube digestif. Journal de Physiologie et de Paihologie Ghrcrales, 

 1898, p. 226. 



