Haemolysis hy Serum in Comhination with Certain Benzol Bodies. 63 
A very peculiar change was, however, noted as regards the susceptibility 
of the treated corpuscles to the lytic action of acid. Alkali was not, however, 
found to be more haemolytic than in the case of normal ox's corpuscles. 
Varying amounts of jqq HCl and NaOH were added to 1 c.c. ox's 
corpuscles sensitised with brilliant green, and in parallel series the same 
amounts were tested with 1 c.c. suspension of normal ox's corpuscles. In 
one experiment 0-075 HCl produced lysis of the treated corpuscles, 
while 0*25 c.c. was required to haemolyse 1 c.c. of the untreated suspension. 
Thus the treated corpuscles are more than three times as susceptible to the 
action of acid. There is, however, no difference in susceptibility to the 
action of alkali. 
While these experiments have been carried out with brilliant green, 
other allied benzol compounds have been found to behave in a similar 
fashion, e.g. diamino-triphenyl-methane-hydrochloride (Dobner's violet), 
tetra-methyl-diamino-triphenyl- methane (malachite green), hexa-ethyl-tri- 
amino-triphenyl-methane (ethyl violet), and hexa-methyl-triamino-tripheuyl- 
methane (methyl violet). 
It has thus been shown how serum possesses certain haemolytic 
properties apart from the action of the labile complement ; as in the case of 
haemolysis by complement the serum, of course, is incapable of affecting 
the intact corpuscles, and just as the sensitising effect of immune body or 
colloidal silicic acid renders the red cells susceptible to the toxic action of 
the complement, so also these benzol bodies bring about some sensitisation 
of the corpuscles. It is impossible to say what this sensitisation depends on. 
It is certain that physical alterations of the stromata are produced and 
that these bodies have the power of slowly damaging the corpuscles, but the 
experiments clearly demonstrate that there is a thermo-stable property or 
constituent of serum concerned in affecting lysis of red blood-corpuscles, 
provided some preliminary physical alteration is produced. The ultimate 
result is not of the nature of a disintegration of the cells, since the stromata 
are still visible under the microscope after haemolysis, as in the case of 
complement-imniune-body haemolysis. It is also remarkable that minute 
amounts of serum (e. g. 0*005-0'025 c.c.) are capable of lysing the treated 
corpuscles. While lecithin possesses similar qualities, it cannot be said that 
the action of the serum depends on its lipoids. Moreover, though, in the 
case of serum, this peculiar property is indissociable from its proteins, and 
may be resident in the proteins excreted in a pathological urine, it is 
doubtful whether it is directly attributable to them, since cerebro-spinal fluids 
• which were practically devoid of proteins are capable of lysing the sensitised 
corpuscles even in comparatively small amounts. 
