The use of nth order equations to describe the action of simple hœmolysins

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a fundamental modification into the theory which deals with the kinetics of haemolytic reactions. Hitherto it has been found sufficient to treat the reaction between the lysin and the cell component with which it reacts as one of the first order ; now, as a result of improved methods of investigation, it is necessary to treat it as a reaction of then th order,i.e ., as one in which varying-sized groups of molecules may be imagined as reacting with one another. As a result of this modification, the equations hitherto used for describing the kinetics of simple haemolysins become special cases of much more general expressions, which are not only able to describe haemolytic phenomena over greater ranges with greater accuracy, but which are in all probability applicable to a much greater diversity of haemolytic reactions.