262 



VENOMOUS ANIMALS 



(d) Other Cytolysins .^"Flexner and Noguchi have found that the 

 amboceptors in venom can act upon a number of the cells of the 

 body — e.g., liver, kidney, testicle, and ovary — causing lysis, the 

 complement being probably either endocellular or in the lymph- 

 stream. The nature of the complement is, however, quite unknown 

 at present, but is probably different from the complement acting 

 on the red cells, as its activity is destroyed by heating to 60° C. for 

 some time. The histological effects of these toxins can be noted 

 particularly in the microscopical appearances in the liver and 

 kidney. The liver shows necrosis and fatty degeneration of its 

 cells, and, as a reactionary process, leucocytic infiltration around 

 the bile-passages. In the kidney, the glomeruli show intense con- 

 gestion of their capillaries, often associated with ruptures of their 

 walls and haemorrhage into Bowman's capsule. The cells of the 

 tubules are necrotic and detached, filling the lumen. The whole 

 organ is congested, and there may be interstitial haemorrhages. 

 The spleen is but slightly affected. 



4. Antih^molysins. — Weir Mitchell and Stewart have shown 

 that if crotalus-venom is added to red corpuscles in a certain 

 degree of concentration, no haemolysis takes place. This fact has 

 been confirmed by Myers and Stephens for the cobra, and Lamb 

 for Viper a russelUi. 



Noguchi believes that the action is due to venom having the 

 power in certain cases of precipitating the outer layer of the haemo- 

 globin, while in other cases this does not take place. 



5. Antibactericidal Substances. — Weir Mitchell drew atten- 

 tion to the fact that bodies of animals dead from crotalus poisoning 

 rapidly decomposed, while Ewing found that the normal germicidal 

 power of the serum was destroyed — a fact confirmed by Martin. 



Flexner and Noguchi also investigated this action, and came to 

 the conclusion that : — • 



(1) All venoms, when used in suitable quantities, destroy the 

 bactericidal properties of many normal sera. 



(2) The manner of this destruction consists in the fixation of the 

 serum complements by the venoms. 



(3) Venoms have no action upon the intermediary bodies of the 

 serum. 



6. Fibrin Ferment. — A fibrin ferment has been shown by Martin 

 to be present in the venoms of the viperidae and also of some of the 

 colubridae. In the former it is the active agent which causes the 

 vascular clotting in small animals, with convulsions and sudden 

 death. This coagulative substance has been shown by Barratt to 

 be a thrombin. 



7. Antifibrin Ferment. — An antifibrin ferment— that is to 

 say, a substance which in minute quantities is able to prevent the 

 coagulation of the blood — is found in cobra and allied venoms. 



8. Proteolytic Ferment.- — Venom contains a body of some 

 description, probably a ferment, which is capable of transforming 

 proteid. 



