6o 



TOXINS AND ANTITOXINS. 



simply refer to the work by Charrin, already men- 

 tioned, for all supplementary details. 



Autointoxications.* — The cells of the organism 

 having, as a whole, a life very much like that of 

 the microbes, it is quite natural that among the 

 excreted products of the living tissues there should 

 be fotind the same substances formed as a re- 

 sult of the anaerobic fermentation of albumin- 

 oids. Experiment has demonstrated that this is so, 

 and Armand Gautier has irrefutably proven the 

 existence of these principles.! Bouchard was the 

 first to demonstrate the toxic nature of muscle 

 extract, J and Roger § established the fact that 

 the toxicity of this extract is due to ferment-toxins ; 

 it has since been recognized that after death these 

 toxins accumulate in the muscles. 



The extract of kidney made rapidly by cold 

 process by triturating the washed kidney with 

 glycerin, and precipitating the glycerinic solution 

 with alcohol, contains toxic ferments to which the 

 name " hystozymes " has been given. || These fer- 

 ments split up hippuric acid into benzoic acid and 

 glycocoU. Lepine has likewise discovered in the 



* Ch. Bouchard: Des Autointoxications. Paris, 1887. 



t Bull. Acad, de MHecine (2), x, p. 947, and xx, p. 115. 



J Bouchard: Legons sur les Autointoxications, Paris, 1887. 



§ Roger: Toxicity des Extraits des Tisstis Normaux. Soc. 

 de Biolog., 1891, p. 728. 



11 It is well to recall here that the kidneys contain both 

 reducinc; and oxidizing ferments, as has been demonstrated 

 by de Rey-Pajlhade, and later by Abelous and Gerard. 



