Botulism. 



313 



162 (1744) 



Botulism; a study of the action of the toxin of B. 

 botulinus upon the living tissues. 



By ERNEST C. DICKSON and RICHARD SHEVKY. 



[From Stanford University Medical School, San Francisco.] 



In a study of the action of the toxin of B. botulinus upon the 

 living body it was found that the upper and lower neurones of 

 the skeletal motor nerve supply are unimpaired and that there is 

 no disturbance in the spinal reflex arcs of the extremities. There 

 is, however, definite evidence of a blocking of the nerve impulses 

 in the nerves of the non-sympathetic portion of the involuntary 

 nervous system, e.g., the vagus nerve, the chorda tympani and 

 the nervi erigentes. There is indication that this blocking is of 

 a temporary and relatively unstable nature, and that it is not due 

 to organic destruction of the nerve elements. 



Cats, dogs and rabbits were used in the experiments. 



163 (1745) 



The agglutinating action of salvarsan in vitro and in vivo. 



By JEAN OLIVER and SOSABRO YAMADA. 



[From the Department of Pathology, Stanford University 

 Medical School, San Francisco.] 



A detailed study of the mechanism of the agglutinating action 

 of salvarsan on red blood cells shows the following points. 



In vitro salvarsan has a fairly constant titre of agglutination. 

 There is a progressive drop in this titre as the solution is oxidized 

 on standing. Although the red cells have the power to bind 

 salvarsan in isotonic sugar solutions, no agglutination takes place 

 unless a certain amount of salt is added. Serum, as well as other 

 hydrophilic colloids, under proper conditions may prevent the 

 occurrence of agglutination. It was shown that this inhibition 

 was due to a prevention of the union of salvarsan with the cells. 



