2 TOXINS AND ANTITOXINS. 



These principles are formed in essentially redu- 

 cing media, whether it be within the body of the 

 organism, and by the simple exercise of its nor- 

 mal ftinction, in which case the principles bear 

 the generic name leucomaines * ; or whether due to 

 the action of anaerobic microbes, when they are 

 designated as ptomaines. f These basic principles, 

 which are essentially the products of cellular secre- 

 tion, are usually toxic, and sometimes even ex- 

 tremely to. 



As we shall presently see, ptomaines are essen- 

 tially products formed during putrefactive fermen- 

 tation. The toxic properties of extracts from the 

 cadaveric fluids have long been known. Already 

 in 1838 Panum % had met with these products 

 in snake venoms. Bergmann and Schmiedberg § in 

 1868 isolated from septic pus a toxic substance 

 which they named sepsin; and almost at the same 

 time Zuelzer and Sonnenschein || reported having 

 isolated from anatomical preparations an alkaloid 

 possessing mydriatic properties. It is, however, 

 due particularly to the researches of Selmi and 



* Armand Gautier: Sur les leucomaines, nouveaux alcaloides, 

 derives de la transformation des substances prot^iques des tissus 

 vivants. Bull. Soc. Chim., 2e s6rie, xliu, p. 158. 



f Armand Gautier: ' 'Communication sur les bases d'origine 

 putrefactive." Bull. Soc. Chim. (2), xxxvii, p. 305. 



% Virchow Archiv., x, p. 301. 



§ Medic. Centralblatt, 1868, p. 497. 



I) Berlin. Klin. Woch., i86p, No. a. 



