PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTION OF VENOM OF BLACK SNAKE. 189 
The venom of the Australian black snake does not contain any 
body of the nature of a nucleo-albumen. If a clear solution of 
venom be subjected to artificial gastric digestion, it is quite 
unaltered in appearance (no precipitate of nuclein). Moreover, 
by such treatment it is not deprived of its toxic properties. 
The question has now to be answered whether, notwithstanding 
this negative result, there is yet any source from which through 
the direct or indirect action of the venom (e.g. the production of 
this substance within the organism itself, under the influence 
of the specific toxic activity of the venom), a sufficient supply of 
nucleo-albumen could be derived. 
T have already shown that this venom is a powerful agent in the 
destruction of red blood corpuscles, and evidence exists that bodies 
like ether and tannates,!sodium chlorate, glycerin, toluenediamine, 
: arsenic and phosphorus,” which when injected into the circulation 
disintegrate red cells, and occasion haemoglobinuria, also produce 
thrombosis. 
Wooldridge? and Nauck* produced intravascular coagulation by 
injecting the stromata of mammalian blood corpuscles, and the 
similar results of Kéhler® obtained by injection of the hzemaglobin- 
stained fluid expressed from warm blood clot, may no doubt be 
explained as due to broken up corpuscles. Kriiger has confirmed 
Wooldridge’s results as regards the stromata of bird's blood. 
Groth® and Kriiger? have found intravascular coagulation to 
follow the introduction of a saline extract of lymph-glands, con- 
taining leucocytes, into the circulation. Wooldridge ‘criticised 
these results of Groth and Kriiger on the ground that well-washed 
8G rene eT EC NRE 
1 Naunyn, Ueber den neuen Standpunkt in der Lehre von Thrombose.— 
Ber. Klin. Woch. No. 24, 1886. 
? Silbermann—« Virch. Arch., Bd. 117, S. 288.” 
3“ Practitioner,” 1886. 4 Diss. Dorpat. 1886. 
Pcl Thrombose ete.” Inaug. Diss. D orpat. 1887. : 
7 ten Schicksale der farblosen Elemente im kreisenden Blute.” 
1 
T«7.° ; 
“Leitschr, f. Biologie,” Vol. xxiv. 
