29 
Ehrlich,® 1898, definitely proved that tetanus toxine contains at 
least two poisons — (1) tetano-lysin and (2) tetano-spasmin. He 
showed that these two poisons do not always appear in the same 
relative proportion in different preparations. Some of the toxines 
that have strong tetanic properties have weak hemolytic action, and 
vice versa. The hemolytic affinity of the toxine weakens much quicker 
than the tetano-spasmin. This occurs spontaneously as well as when 
it is heated to 50° for twenty minutes. The two poisons have different 
combining affinities. If tetanus to:^ine is brought into contact with 
red blood corpuscles, the greatest part of the tetanolysin is bound by 
the red corpuscles, while the tetanospasmin remains in the solution. 
Each one of these two poisons has its own antitoxin. If several 
different tetanus sera are examined, it will be found that they have 
no parallel neutralization for tetanolysin and tetanospasmin. In one 
particular case Ehrlich found a serum that was strongly antispastic 
and had practically no antilytic power. 
Madsen,^ 1899, confirms Ehrlich’s observations that in cultures of 
the tetanus bacillus there are two poisons, namely, tetanolysin and 
tetanospasmin, and that for the former there exists a specific anti- 
toxin, namely, antiHsin. The strength of this lysin and its anti- 
bodies may be measured with great accuracy by colorimetric tests. 
Knud Faber, ^ in his early work with mixed cultures in 1890, was 
the first to obtain indications of the true tetanus poison. 
Faber showed that the poison always works after a certain period 
of incubation. The greater the quantity of poison the shorter the 
period of incubation and the shorter the course of the disease. For 
instance, when the period of incubation was twenty-four hours, 
rabbits died after a sickness of twenty-four hours; but if the period 
of incubation was five days, then the rabbits recovered after localized 
tetanus lasting fourteen days. With mice the period of incubation 
varied from six hours to two to fifteen days. 
He found that the poison is active not only when injected into the 
tissues, but also when injected intravenous^ in rabbits. Positive 
results were obtained vdth mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and birds, 
but frogs were not affected. 
He was liot able to obtain an immunity by using the filtered cul- 
tures. The poison passes through a Chamberland filter. All traces 
of toxicity disappear if the poison is heated for five minutes at 65° C. 
Faber states that experimental tetanus in smaller animals always 
manifests itself by local cramps. This is the case whether the toxine 
“Ehrlich, P.; Gesellschaft der Charite-Aertze (Sitzung 3. Febmar 1898). Berl. 
klin. Woch., 1898, no. 12. 
^ Madsen, Thorvald: Pyber Tetanolysin. Zeit. f. Hyg., vol. 32, 1899, pp. 214, 239. 
c Faber, Knud; Die Pathogenese des Tetanus. Berl. klin. tVoch., vol. 27, 1890, 
pp. 717-720. 
