296 



Dr. G. E. C. Wood. A Method for [Feb. 27, 



injections were stopped earlier than the others, owing to its tempera- 

 ture showing a tendency to remain permanently elevated. In horses 

 Nos. 6 and 7 the production of antitoxine was much less than in 

 Nos. 4 and 5, and this is, no doubt, to be ascribed to the injections 

 producing much less marked reactions, owing, apparently, to their 

 greater refractoriness. In all probability, however, this condition 

 might have been overcome by the use of larger injections and stronger 

 broth toxine.] The rise in antitoxic value of the serum of these 

 horses is shown in the appended table (Table IV). 



Table IV. 





Strength of 

 serum before 

 treatment. 



Strength of 

 serum after 



IS days 

 treatment. 



Amounts of toxin es injected during 

 the 16 days. 



Horse No. 4 



oho c -c 



"30V0 C-C 



650 c.c. serum toxine and 2350 cc. 







weak broth toxine. 



Horse No. 5 



To~o C -C. 



TsVo CC. 



600 c.c. serum toxine and 1800 c.c. 







weak broth toxine. 



Horse No. 6 



M C.C. 



rh> cc. 



650 c.c. serum toxine and 2350 c.c. 





weak broth toxine. 



Horse No. V 



CC. 



TTo CC 



650 c.c. serum toxine and 2350 c.c. 







weak broth toxine. 



These results indicate very strikingly that the rapid production of 

 antitoxine depended, at any rate in great part, on the cumulative action 

 of the toxines by means of which the animal was kept in a chronic 

 condition of local and constitutional reaction. It is probable that we- 

 produce in tbis way tbe earlier stages of that condition of " super- 

 sensitiveness " described by Behring, in which an animal whose blood 

 may be charged with the most powerful antitoxines, suffers the most 

 profound constitutional disturbance on the introduction of even the 

 smallest quantities of toxine, while at the same time the temperature* 

 of the animal may remain for months permanently elevated above 

 the normal. By taking advantage, however, of this cumulative action 

 in its earlier effects, we are furnished with a means of easily producing 

 much more powerful antitoxines than is otherwise possible, and it is 

 probable that by the use of stronger broth toxine the method may be 

 carried still further in this direction. This cumulative action may 

 also be taken advantage of to obviate that most troublesome occur- 

 rence where an animal becomes apparently absolutely refractory, 

 ceasing to react to the toxine and failing to produce antitoxine, so thai 

 it has to pass out of use for the purpose of producing the curative 

 serum. Some preliminary experiments have, however, indicated that 



