6 2 TOXINS AND ANTITOXINS. 



detail in a future volume of this collection, devoted 

 to the immunizing active principles. 



Glandular Secretions. — On studying the venoms 

 we wiU see that a certain number of these products 

 are the result of glandular secretion. This is a 

 general property of the glands; and it was Brown- 

 Sequard who first drew attention to the r61e played 

 by these glands, and to the importance of the 

 products that they throw into the blood.* 



P. Noel showed later that the testicular juice 

 possesses a high degree of activity, which he 

 attributed to an oxidizing ferment, and which we 

 have already mentioned, spermine. 



The greater number of the other glands contain 

 proteid matters and various peptones, more or less 

 toxic, with amides and alkaloids. 



Particular mention must be made of the thyroid 

 gland, the secretions of which exercise a powerful 

 action on the nervous centers and on nutrition, "f 

 It appears reasonable to attribute to the secretions 

 of this gland a very powerful antitoxic action, and 

 the first proof of this fact is that the organisms 

 deprived of this gland become the seat of serious 

 derangements ; the urines of such organisms become 

 particularly toxic, while, on the other hand, the 

 hypodermic injections of the aqueous extract of 



* Compt. rend, de I'Acad. des Sciences, cai^, -pp. 1237, 1318 

 1399, and 1534; cxv, p. 37s; and cxvi, p. 836. 



I LAULANlfi: Compt. rend. Soc, de Biol., 1894, p. 187. 



