Author: Leo Loeb

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2017-10-16

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 9780266380306

Excerpt from The Venom of Heloderma There exists much difference of Opinion in regard to the real function of the poison gland. Does it merely take up from the blood the poisonous material produced by other cells, or does it actually manufacture the venom from non poisonous substances supplied through blood or lymph? Calmette and Faust accepted the first view. In snakes the blood and, as Flexner and Noguchi found, even the ova contain a venom very similar to that secreted by the poison gland. Calmette and Faust believe, therefore, that the cells of the poison gland have a selective affinity for the venom circulating in the blood. Inas much as Calmette noticed that the heat resistance of the poisonous substance present in the blood differs somewhat from that of the venom secreted by the poison gland, he assumes that a precursor which is poisonous and has been produced by other cells is slightly modified in the poison gland and then secreted. This difference in the heat resistance of the two poisons he regards as a reason sufficient to exclude the view of Phisalix and Bertrand, who regard the venom circulating in the blood as being manufactured in the venom gland and eliminated in the blood through a mechanism related to internal secretion. They found, accordingly, that after extirpation of the venom gland of snakes the blood lost its toxic properties. In H eloderma conditions are less complicated. Here the venom can not be found anywhere in the body except in the poison gland. Neither does the blood become poisonous after extirpation Of the poison glands, as should be expected if the poison glands served merely as a place of elimination for the venom prepared elsewhere. We can therefore be certain that in the case of H eloderma the poison gland is the place where the venom is produced out of non-poisonous material carried to the gland. Such a conclusion is also in accordance with the view that the granules of the gland are the carriers Of the venom. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.