In a previous paper we showed that when tetanus bacilli are present in the stools of man an appreciable amount of antitoxin can be found in the blood. We have used this fact to explain in part the comparatively low incidence of tetanus infections in Peking where approximately a third of the population are carriers of tetanus bacilli. It is of theoretical as well as of practical interest to know whether this antitoxin passes the placenta and we are grateful to Dr. J. P. Maxwell, who has supplied us with the specimens necessary for such a study.The stools of fourteen of the mothers examined failed to show tetanus bacilli and not one of their sera was able to neutralize two M. L. D. of toxin. Tests on the sera of their children were likewise negative.Six of the mothers proved to be carriers of tetanus bacilli and the results obtained from the examinations of the maternal and child's (cord) bloods are given in the table.
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