Scientific Proceedings. 



47 



used were always washed free from the serum, as the latter para- 

 lyzes the lytic action of the soap fraction. It was found that the 

 addition of an adequate quantity of indifferent or non-specific serum 

 to the extract removed the lytic property of this fraction. But this 

 inactivation was again found to be only superficial, for the extract 

 was not inactive upon the corpuscles which had been treated with 

 specific or normal amboceptors, nor was it inert in the presence of 

 suitable immune bodies. In other words, this soap fraction acquires 

 the property of acting as a complement. This artificial complement 

 can easily be inactivated by heating it to 56 0 C. for half an hour, or 

 by leaving it for a week or longer at room temperature. Its com- 

 plementary action is absent at 0° C. Like serum complement, it 

 becomes inactive when mixed with adequate quantities of various 

 alkali earth salts of strong acids, and any acid stronger than car- 

 bonic acid. Alkalies delay the complementary action of this mix- 

 ture. It may be stated here that the soap fraction in a protein- 

 free solution cannot be inactivated by acids or alkalies. Without 

 the serum proteins, no inactivation at 56 0 C. or on account of age 

 or by suppression of its action ato° C. can be obtained. All these 

 characteristics of a complement are possibly to be ascribed to the 

 serum proteins which are present. 



My experiments with pure preparations of various soaps not 

 only strengthen the above findings, but they further furnish ex- 

 planation of the inactivation processes of various alkali earth salts 

 upon complement and the soap fraction of the blood or organs. 

 In this series of experiments, I have employed stearates of sodium, 

 magnesium, calcium and barium, and oleates of ammonium, neurin, 

 sodium, magnesium, calcium and barium. With the exception of 

 certain alkali earth soaps, they are soluble with opalescence in 

 0.9 per cent, saline solution. Oleate soaps are, as a rule, more 

 easily soluble than the corresponding stearates. As regards their 

 hemolytic activity, it may be stated that the oleates are nearly as 

 much as ten times more powerful than the stearates, and that all 

 insoluble soaps are without lytic action. Of the oleates, neurin 

 soap is the most soluble, and ammonium soap the least. These 

 soluble oleate soaps were used in 1/ 100 to 1/200 N solutions. 0.5 

 c.c. of 0.1 per cent, solution (ca. 1/300 N) of these soaps added 

 to 2 c.c. will effect complete solution of a 5 per cent, suspension 

 of ox corpuscles. 



