198 VENOMOUS SNAKES AND THE PHENOMENA OF THEIR VENOMS 



venomized cells succumb to the latter effects much more easily than the nor- 

 mal corpuscles. Saponin, on the other hand, fails to haemolyze the venom- 

 protected corpuscles, unless the venom has previously been removed, in which 

 case laking is more prompt in the treated cells than in the untreated cells. 

 The venom renders the corpuscles unhaemolyzable in about 20 minutes. 



Noguchi finally proceeded to find out the nature of this protective phe- 

 nomenon. It was ascertained that the aqueous solution of horse corpuscles 

 does form minute precipitates when mixed with a strong solution of venom. 

 The stroma separated from the water-laked corpuscular solution did not give 

 any appreciable quantity of precipitation. By using an aqueous solution of 

 pure haemoglobin he discovered that venom produces precipitation with 

 this solution. But in a saline solution at 0.9 per cent the precipitate was of 

 coarser and scantier nature. The weak solutions of acid or alkali promptly 

 dissolve the venom-haemoglobin precipitate. This seems to explain why 

 acid and alkali haemolyze the venom-protected corpuscles, while water does 

 not. Globin obtained from the horse haemoglobin was found to be readily 

 precipitated out by venom from its aqueous, but not saline, solution. 



Further, it was found that not every haemoglobin solution is precipitable by 

 venom. The intracorpuscular contents of horse, rat, and rabbit bloods gave 

 abundant precipitate, while none was obtained with those of dog and guinea- 

 pig bloods. The solutions of pure haemoglobin and globin of dog's blood 

 corpuscles did not give precipitation with venom. It may be mentioned 

 here that the corpuscles of dog and guinea-pig are never protected by any 

 high strength of venom, while those of horse, rabbit, and rat become entirely 

 non-haemolyzable when mixed with strong venom solution. 



Noguchi adds that when the serum globulin of horse serum — obtained by 

 dialysis — is suspended in water or weak saline solution, the venom quickly 

 brings down the suspended particles, which, left to themselves, subside very 

 slowly, if at all. Of globulins, pseudoglobulin gave the most abundant pre- 

 cipitation with venom. 



The venom-protected corpuscles resist the haemolytic action of tetanolysin 

 and the destruction by fluorescent aniline dyes when exposed to the sun's rays. 



