Scientific Proceedings. 



139 



original condition. It is questionable whether the real primary 

 lesion in such cases is of such character as to be ever demonstrable 

 by physical methods. 



I am greatly indebted to the Rockefeller Institute for financial 

 aid in carrying out these experiments. 



97 (240) 

 Proteid poisons. 

 By VICTOR C. VAUGHAN. 



[From the Hygienic Laboratory, University of Michigan .] 



We have been able by diverse methods to split proteids, bac- 

 terial, vegetable and animal, into poisonous and non-poisonous pro- 

 ducts. The purpose of this abstract is to state briefly some of the 

 properties of the poisons obtained by the cleavage of proteids. 



The poisons obtained from the different proteids are similar but 

 are not identical. All are soluble in both water and absolute 

 alcohol, more freely in the latter than in the former. The aque- 

 ous solutions are acid and slowly decompose sodium bicarbonate, 

 forming salts apparently, and these are less poisonous than the 

 free acids. The aqueous solutions give the general color reactions 

 for proteids with the exception of that of Molisch, and some of 

 them give this reaction. However, most of the proteid .poisons 

 obtained by cleavage of the proteid molecule contain no carbo- 

 hydrate and are free from phosphorus. 



These poisons when injected into animals intra-abdominally, 

 subcutaneously or intravenously induce characteristic symptoms 

 and when administered in sufficient quantity kill promptly. There 

 is a first stage which may be designated as that of peripheral irri- 

 tation, which is characterized by restlessness and scratching. In 

 the second stage there is partial paralysis, most marked in the 

 posterior extremities ; the third stage is characterized by more or 

 less violent clonic convulsions and in the great majority of instances 

 these terminate in death within half an hour after administration. 

 Animals may show the first and second stages and still recover, 

 but in the great majority the appearance of the convulsive stage 

 indicates a fatal termination. As a rule death or recovery results 

 within one hour and the former may occur within five minutes and, 



