Effect of botulinum toxin on lower vertebrates in connection with changes in the nervous system of them

In 1897, V. Ermengem established that the well-known phenomena of botulism in the clinic owe their origin to a special pathogenic saprophytic bacillus discovered by him, bacillus botulinus. He stated that the pathogenic action of this bacillus depends on that toxic principle, which lies in its protoplasm and those environments, strictly anaerobic, where it is able to develop. Introducing the culture of this bacillus or its pure toxin into the animals' mouth or under the skin, he became convinced that some of them are very sensitive to this poison, others are less susceptible and, finally, others are completely immune. The first to include rabbits, mice, guinea pigs, monkeys, which died with typical phenomena of botulism from the minimum doses. The second group includes cats, pigeons, and rats, which perished from more high doses; to the third, he classifies dogs, hens and,. mainly frogs, fish, cyprinus, which, according to him, have complete immunity. However, establishing the fact that animals are different in relation to the pure toxin bac. botulinus, V. Ermengem often does not provide definite data on the lethal minimum dose of the toxin for these animals. There is an exact indication of the dose of the toxin only for pigs and rabbits, and partly for a cat.