768 
Diphtheria  Antitoxin. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Nov.,  19 18. 
cate  does  not  absorb  the  antitoxin,  although  it  absorbs  the  toxin. 
This  absorptive  power  is  favored  by  an  alkaline  reaction.25 
Silicic  acid  purified  electro-osmotically  seems  to  have  a  certain 
capacity  for  absorption,  less  for  the  antitoxin  and  more  for  the 
toxin,  than  the  corresponding  acid  not  purified  in  .this  manner 
(Zunz).  Palladium  asbestos  has  been  tested  on  the  toxin,  but  ap- 
parently not  on  the  antitoxin.26  We  have  no  data  as  to  the  action 
of  ordinary  asbestos  on  diphtheria  antitoxin,  but  it  absorbs  99.9  per 
cent,  of  its  toxin.27  Various  vegetable  gums  have  been  found  to 
inactivate  the  toxin,28  but  these  have  not  been  used  on  the  antitoxin. 
Direct  sunlight  with  long  shaking  injures  it.  This  may  be  due 
to  increased  exposure  to  aid  (oxydation)  or  to  some  mechanical  re- 
arrangement of  the  molecules,29  but  apparently  there  is  no  data  as 
to  whether  shaking  in  chemically  indifferent  gases  injures  it.30 
Antitoxic  serum  is  insensitive  to  low  temperature.  By  freezing 
two  or  three  times,  Bujwid  kept  his  antitoxic  serum  active  for  over 
one  year.31  But  there  is  a  report  that  Gorjansky  noted  a  loss  in 
activity  from  cold.32  Serum  deteriorates  six  times  as  fast  at  360  C. 
as  when  kept  on  ice.33 
The  antitoxic  serum  is  said  to  be  slightly  weakened  by  heating 
to  60-70 0  C.34  Mellanby  claims  it  can  be  heated  to  66°  C.  without 
injury.  The  serum  retains  its  antitoxic  activity  after  five  hours 
heating  at  55 0  C.35  Partial  cogulations  of  proteins,  if  it  occurs,  may 
carry  antitoxin  with  them,  and  thus  lessen  the  antitoxic  value  of  the 
serum.  Heating  it  to  boiling  quickly  destroys  the  antitoxic  value  of 
;serum,  but  dried  antitoxic  serum  will  stand  heating  to  no°  C.  for 
25  Zunz,  E.,  Zeits.  f.  Immun.,  Vol.  19,  p.  326,  1913. 
-20  Biltz,  W.,  Much,  and  Siebert,  Beitr.  2.  exper.  Therap.  von  Behring, 
1905. 
'27\Vyard,  S.,  Journ.  Path.,  Vol.  18,  p.  485,  1913-14;  Coplans,  M.,  ibid., 
p.  581. 
28  Lindelsheim,  Zeits.  f.  Hyg.,  Vol.  42,  p.  308,  1913. . 
29  Palmirski,  L.,  and  Orlowski,  W.,  ref.  Cent.  f.  Bakter.,  Vol.  19,  1916. 
30  Wiechowski,  W.,  Biochem.  Zeits.,  1917,  Vol.  81,  p.  278. 
si  Bujwid,  O.,  Cent.  f.  Bakter.,  Vol.  22,  p.  287,  1897 ;  Ernst,  H.  C,  Coolidge, 
J.  N.,  and  Cook,  H.  A.,  Journ.  Boston  Med.  Soc.,  Vol.  2,  p.  166,  1897-98. 
32  Madsen,  T.,  in  Krause,  R.,  and  Levaditi,  C,  "  Handbuch  d.  Immunitats- 
forschung,"  Vol  2,  p.  no. 
33MacConkey,  A.,  Journ,  Hyg.,  Vol.  12,  p.  511,  1912.  See  also  Ito,  T., 
Zeits.  f.  Immun.,  Vol.  15,  P-  97- 
34  Van  de  Velde,  H.,  Cent.  f.  Bakter.,  Vol.  22,  p.  534. 
35  Miiller,  /.  c. 
