The Washington herald., 1911-02-26
CLOSE KIN OF man.
WITH APES PROVED
Shown by the Most Delicate
Known Blood Test.
THEORY NOW SCIENTIFIC FACT
Serums Prepared by Injecting Diff
ferent Animals Fail to Respond
from Human Body, hut Same Is
Not True High-cIass Ape.
Special Cable to The Washington Herald.

Special Cable to The Washington Herald.
London, Feb. 25-Dr. Wilcox. official
analyst to the home office, at a magiste-
rial inquiry into a charge of murder a
few days ago gave a piece of evidence
that had never before been given in this
country. He testified that certain blood
stains on the collar of the accused man
were caused by human blood and that
this fact had been proved by the sero-
logical test.
This sociological test is the last word of
science on the subject of discriminating
between different kinds of blood stains.
Its wonderful delicacy will be under
stood when il is stated that the flesh OF
Egyptian mummies responds readily TO
IL. special sociological laboratory has
been fitted up recently in the buildings
of the Royal Society of Public Health in
London, and here a couple of days ago a
special demonstration was given by Or.
Rajchman of the way in which this test
is carried out.
Hitherto all the methods of discrimi-
mating between different kinds of blood
have been based on color or on the ap-
pearance of the blood cOrpuscles under
the microscope. The new test is based on
the chemical character of the albumen
dissolved in the blood serum.
DR. Rajchman took a sample Of linen
which was marked with "A dark red stain.
lie placed il in watch glass and covered
it with dilute salt solution. which, he eN-
planned would slowly dissolve out any
aIbumen which the stain might contain
and at the same time would remove any
blood corpuscles which might he pres
ent A momentary examination by a
microscope revealed the presence of the
corpuscIes which proved it to be blood
of some kind.
Has Curious Effect.
While the clot was dissolving in the
salt solution he showed six test tubes.
each of which contained what he called
an antiserum. Each had been prepared
by injecting the blood of some animal
into a rabbit The different kinds of blood
with which different sets of rabbits had
been treated were those Of man, a
horse, a pig. and an OK.
After certain number OF injection.
the rabbits Diood il found TO contain
a substance known as precipitin. a drop
of blood taken from the ear of a rabbit
containing the preCipitin caused by hu-
man blod has a curious effect on the al
bumen dissolved out by the salt from
human blood ClOt.
The test was shown by placing a few
drOps-a tenth OF a cubic Centimeter-
of the saline solution in very small
test tube and allowing a drop OF the anti
serum TO fall into it. Being rather heavy,
the drop settled at the bottom of the
tube, and at the point Of contact between
the two liquids IA ring of tlmy Opales-
cence was formed when the human anti
serum was used. When any OF the others
was dropped in the liquid remained per-
feCtly clear and transparent.
In another experiment some horse
flesh was treated with the salt water
and the solution so made tested in the
same way. Here the horse antiserum
gave the teIltale ring of opalescence and
all the others remained clear. showing
definitely to what kind of animal the
original flesh belonged.
Although this reaction has been known
for about five years, il has only been
brought to its present perfection lately.
There is only one case known in which
the test fails. There is no difference in
tahe result of the test between the blood
OF a man and the blood of a high-class
ape.