On certain correction terms required in the equations for the kinetics of simple hœmolysis

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Abstract
This paper is concerned principally with the effect of introducing into the equations which describe the kinetics of simple hemolytic systems a term which takes account of the fact that the hemoglobin liberated by the cells which first undergo lysis has an inhibitory effect on the lysis of the remainder. It is shown that the addition of this new term does not in any way affect the numerical results previously obtained for time-dilution and percentage hemolysis curves, the only result of its addition, so far as these curves are concerned, being a change in the value of the "velocity constant" of the equation for the fundamental reaction between cells and lysin. An important difference is introduced, however, in the form of the calculated distribution of red cell resistances. If this distribution is computed by the use of an expression which contains no term for the inhibition by hemoglobin (as heretofore), it shows a very long tail stretching in the direction of the upper extreme; if it is computed by using the expression which contains the inhibition term, on the other hand, the peculiar tail disappears, and the distribution becomes one of a much more common type. By means of a new optical method for measuring percentage hemolysis, it is shown that additional correction terms of very small magnitude require to be added to the theoretical equations in order to allow for delay which occurs in the complete mixing of the added cells with the other components of the hemolytic systems. If this delay in mixing is allowed for, the theoretical and experimental values obtained for time-dilution curves and percentage hemolysis curves agree almost perfectly. The remainder of the paper is concerned with various aspects of the inhibition produced by hemoglobin and the plasma, and with the peculiar results obtained when we attempt to measure the amount of lysin used up in hemolysing a given number of cells by measuring the time taken by the remaining lysin to hemolyse a second quantity of suspension added at the moment of complete lysis of the first number of cells. These investigations do not lend themselves to summarization, but the results are in accordance with expectation.

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