42 ( 1 06) Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. 



In cases of subcutaneous introduction, prostration does not occur 

 until after 20 or 30 minutes, and even then is induced only by 

 much larger doses. 



Further tests were made with curare. A dose can be found 

 which will have no apparent effect after subcutaneous injection, but 

 which, after intramuscular introduction, will cause paralysis of the 

 voluntary muscles in a few minutes. The authors also established 

 striking differences between the effects of the two modes of applica- 

 tion in the cases of morphin and fluorescein. 



Tenth meeting. 1 



[Second Annual Business Meeting.] 



Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. February ij, 1905. 

 President Meltzer in the chair. 



16 (62). "Degrees of susceptibility to diptheria toxin among 

 guinea-pigs. Transmission from parents to offspring " : 

 THEOBALD SMITH. (Presented by WILLIAM H. PARK.) 



The author called attention to the usefulness of the antitoxin 

 unit furnished by the Institute for Experimental Therapy under 

 the direction of Professor Ehrlich in the routine testing of the 

 strength of diphtheria antitoxin. The one uncertain element is the 

 relative resistance of the guinea-pigs to diphtheria toxin. 



In the course of the past nine years the author has given con- 

 siderable personal attention to this subject and found that different 

 dealers furnished guinea-pigs of slightly different susceptibility. 

 This difference was attributed to environment and care. The ani- 

 mals bred under the author's supervision generally showed maxi- 

 mum resistance. Irregularities in the routine tests during the past 

 year led the author to look up the genealogy of the pigs used and 

 he found that the different degrees of resistance belonged to cer- 

 tain families or litters and were constant for those families. Thus, 

 one mother gave birth to young which did not react to what was 

 the usual fatal dose. Four successive litters possessed the same 

 resistance. As each pig could be tested but once the precise 

 degree of resistance could not be measured, but it appeared prob- 



1 Reprinted from Science, 1905, xxi, p. 5S0 ; American Medicine, 1905, ix, p. 

 491 ; Medical News, 1905, Ixxxvi, p. 666. 



