Resistance of Erythrocytes in Disease 3 



class of corpuscles studied. The results with the organic lysins 

 were of greater interest, the most marked feature being the strik- 

 ing resistance offered by the corpuscles derived from certain cases 

 of syphilis to the action of saponin and allied poisons. On the 

 other hand, not all of the cases with syphilis manifested this result ; 

 indeed some of them seemed among the least resistant of the 

 bloods which were studied. Further analysis revealed the fact 

 that some cases of advanced tuberculosis of the lungs also pos- 

 sessed corpuscles marked by resistance to these poisons, although 

 their resistance did not equal that of the cases of syphilis. Added 

 to these unsatisfactory conditions was the fact that the technique, 

 unless most rigidly observed, failed to demonstrate these differ- 

 ences satisfactorily. 



Digitonin proved a far more satisfactory glucoside than saponin, 

 inasmuch as it separated far more cases of lues from the non-1 uetic 

 than did saponin, but it shared the disadvantages already outlined, 

 namely, the extreme delicacy of the reaction, which left too little 

 margin of difference between the luetic and the non-luetic cases and 

 the extreme care necessary in the technique, inasmuch as the slight- 

 est difference in the handling of the various specimens of erythro- 

 cytes sufficed to invalidate the result. 



In looking for some other hemolysin of the same nature, I was 

 guided by the fact that the sapotoxins previously investigated act 

 upon the red cells through their content in cholesterin and in 

 lecithin. H. Sachs states that cobra venom is an indicator of the 

 lecithin content of red cells ; I therefore made a further study of 

 snake venom, using rattlesnake venom and cobra venom. Of the 

 rattlesnake venom I had two specimens, one of which I owe to the 

 kindness of Professor McFarland, of Philadelphia ; neither has given 

 me satisfaction, although I am not ready to make a final report on 

 the subject. I have also had two samples of cobra venom for one 

 of which I am indebted to Dr. Flexner. Cobra venom has ful- 

 filled my expectations even more completely than I had hoped. 

 I have tested approximately 150 cases of human blood, of which 

 50 were from syphilitics, and I believe that it is justifiable to make 

 a preliminary statement of the results of these tests. To sum- 

 marize the results in brief : luetic conditions are characterized by 

 their resistance to cobra venom. This group comprises also some 



