22 
Tetanus toxine is insoluble in alcohol. It is precipitated by phos- 
phate of lime or of aluminum: retains its toxicity for a long time; it 
'resists well in this state the action of the air. 
Vaillard and Rouget ° proved that the heating at 65° to 67° G. for 
five, ten, or fifteen minutes diniinishes considerably but does not 
destroy the toxine. TVhen heated ten or fifteen minutes to 70° or 
75° C. and one horn: at 80° C. if injected in very large amormts is 
toxic for guinea pigs. They showed that the spores contained a 
certain amount of toxine which resisted 80° C. for one horn. 
Martin ^ also showed that the toxine is very sensitive to heat : 65° C. 
or above for five minutes completely destroys it: but it ^vithstands 
60° C. for fifteen nnnutes and 55° C. for an hour and a quarter : much 
longer at lower temperatures. He dried it over H,SO^ without loss 
of toxicity. If dried in the incubator it loses its toxicity. It was 
destroyed in nine or ten weeks by diftiised daylight : fifteen to eighteen 
hours direct sunhght completely destroys it. 
Lumiere and Chevrottier found that solutions of permanganate 
of potash and sulphate of iron, and the salts of cerium, cobalt, and 
nickel markedly attenuate the toxme of tetanus. 
Fermi and Pernossi draw the folio vdng conclusions from their 
studies of the tetanus poison: 
Agar cultmes are the most poisonous. Xext come those on 
gelathi, and lastly those in bouillon. Chickens, snakes, turtles, and 
tritons are immune to the poison. In the above-mentioned animals, 
this toxine may remain and retain its virulence for tlrree days, and 
even longer. Filtrates from agar and gelatin cultures are more 
resistant to heat than those from bouillon. Like the enzymes, the 
pmer the tetanus poison the less stability does it possess. Dissolved 
in water, the tetanus poison is rendered inert by a temperattire of 
55° C., but in the dry state it can be heated to 120° C. without loss 
of virulence. When the dry poison is mixed with ether or cldoro- 
forni and heated to 80° C. it is destroyed: but vdth ainylic alcohol 
or benzol a temperature of 100° is required to accomplish this result. 
Dissolved in water tliis poison is destroyed by direct sunlight after 
a Vaillard, L., ci: Rouget, J. : Contribution a Tettide dti tetanos. Ann. Inst. Pasteur, 
vol. 6, 1892, p. 385. 
51artin, S. ; Further report on the chemical pathology' of tetanus. Report of med. 
officer, Local Govt. Board, London, 1894-5, vol. 24, 1896, pp. 505-513. 
c Lumiere, A. A L., A Che^nottier, J.; Action des oxydases artificielles sur la toxine 
tetanique. Compt. rend. acad. sci., vol. 138. 1904, pp. 652-654. 
d Fermi, CL, and Pemossi, Leone: L~eber das Tetanusgift. Vergleichende Studien 
mit Beriicksichtigung anderer, Gifte und der Enz;\TQe. Centblt. f. Bakt., 1 Abt., 
vol. 15, 1894, pp. 303-310. Ref., Vaughan & Xo^y's ‘'Cellular toxins,” 1902, p. 
62-63. 
