192 VENOMOUS SNAKES AND THE PHENOMENA OF THEIE VENOMS 



be obtained by these salts against venom-lecithin haemolysis. Peculiarly 

 enough, barium chloride exceeds the other in its antagonistic action against 

 this form of haemolysis. 



Von Dungern and Coca incidentally refer to the regeneration of the com- 

 plement once inactivated by barium chloride by means of adding sodium 

 sulphate. This confirms the observations of Noguchi, who studied the same 

 phenomenon with numerous complements and chemicals. 1 As to the cause 

 of certain inhibitory influence exerted by barium chloride against cobra venom 

 in the presence of lecithin, these investigators ascribe it to the interference of 

 this salt on the formation of lecithid, because the prepared lecithid is as 

 haemolytic in the barium solution as in the sodium-chloride solution. On the 

 other hand, the prepared lecithid shows less strength in sugar solution 

 (9.35 per cent) than in the saline solution (0.8 per cent). Formation of cobra 

 lecithid seems to be much easier in the sugar solution than in the saline 

 solution, because certain kinds of blood are easily haemolyzed in the former, 

 but not at all in the latter medium (Goebel). This phenomenon is interesting, 

 as it presents a reverse relation to the haemolysis caused by the serum ambo- 

 ceptor and complement. 



Von Dungern and Coca studied the nature of cobra lecithid in regard to 

 its bearing on immunity. They prepared lecithids in the usual way, originally 

 given by Kyes. The results of their experiments do not favor the toxin-like 

 view of lecithid. They immunized rabbit with lecithid and obtained anti- 

 haemolytic serum. But the antihaemolytic power of the immune serum does 

 not manifest itself until it has been heated to 64 C, because the normal 

 rabbit serum is found to be almost as strongly antilecithidal as the immune 

 serum in the fresh state. This peculiar phenomenon was first observed and 

 described by Kyes in his studies of immunization against lecithid. Kyes's 

 interpretation was that the normal rabbit serum contains a certain amount 

 of anti-body against lecithid, and its destruction by means of previous heating 

 of the serum to 64 C. is necessary to make the specific antihaemolytic prop- 

 erty of the immune serum appear in a more striking degree. 



Von Dungern and Coca gave a very different explanation for this phenom- 

 enon on the grounds of their own experiments. They assume that lecithid 

 contains a certain quantity of lecithin-splitting venom-ferment or. haemo- 

 lysin and the immunization of animals with such mixture causes appearance 

 of anti-body for this minute quantity of venom lysin in its blood serum. 

 The reason why the heated normal serum becomes inactive and the heated 

 immune serum still more or less active against lecithid is that the former 

 furnishes enough liberated lecithin to be acted upon by the native venom 

 contained in the lecithid, hence more haemolysis than with the fresh normal 

 serum. On the other hand, the immune serum contains, even after heating 

 (64°C), a specific anti-body to neutralize the native venom of the leci- 

 thid; hence the presence of free lecithin in the heated immune serum is 



1 Noguchi. Ueber die chemische Inaktivierung und Regeneration der Komplemente. Biochem. 

 Zeitschr., 1907, VI, 327. 



