108 Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. 



Chabrie's albumon. This peculiar protein compound of lecithin 

 seems to be absent from the majority of normal serums. Chabrie's 

 albumon develops in any serum heated to coagulation, and renders 

 all serums equally venom activating. Ovovitellin is another form 

 of protein compound containing lecithin in available form for venom. 

 On the other hand, pure serum globulins or serum albumins are 

 not venom activating, notwithstanding their content of alcohol- 

 extractable lecithin. Non-activating serum can be made activating 

 by adding small quantities of oleic acid or oleate soaps. 



The degrees of susceptibility of corpuscles are parallel to the 

 amounts of fatty acids which they contain. The absence of fatty 

 acids is associated with total insusceptibility of the corpuscles to 

 the hemolytic agent of venom. The amounts of lecithin extract- 

 able from corpuscles are about the same in different bloods and 

 bear absolutely no relation to susceptibility. The addition of ade- 

 quate amounts of calcium chloride stops venom hemolysis with 

 washed corpuscles of susceptible species. A previous addition of 

 a small amount of lecithin annuls protection by this salt. A small 

 amount of oleic acid or soluble oleate soap, which is insufficient to 

 produce hemolysis alone, can render the corpuscles of insusceptible 

 species hemolyzable by venom. An oily substance can be ex- 

 tracted with ether from the stoma of susceptible corpuscles, but 

 not from the insusceptible varieties. This oily mass is venom- 

 activating but contains no lecithin. 



75 (218) 



On the influence of the reaction, and of desiccation, upon 



opsonins. 



By HIDEYO NOGUCHI. 



[From the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research.] 



The non-specific antiopsonic property of certain neutral salts 

 and of lactic acid has been studied by Hektoen and his co-laborers, 

 but the relation of the reaction to the opsonic activity of serum has 

 so far escaped attention. The results of my experiments show that 

 opsonins are most active in neutral reaction. For this the serums 

 of the dog, ox, pig and rabbit were employed. Lacmoid was used 

 as an indicator. The technic was essentially the same as Wright's. 



