V. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STUDY OF IMMUNITY. 1 



By Dr. von DTJNGERN, University of Freiburg, Germany. 



A. Receptors 2 and the Formation of Antibodies. 



ACCORDING to Ehrlich's view 3 the antitoxins are formed in those 

 organs which, according to their content of receptors, have bound 

 the toxin. Roux and Borrel 4 in combating to this view, have pointed 

 out that rabbits die of tetanus following an intracerebral injection 

 of very small doses of tetanus poison, and that therefore the brain 

 of these animals contains no active antitoxin. Weigert 5 has shown 

 that this phenomenon entirely supports Ehrlich's theory. Since 

 the antitoxin of the central nervous system, so long as it has not 

 been thrust off into the blood, still functionates as receptor, it must 

 anchor the tetanus poison to the nerve cells and is therefore not 

 at all adapted to protect these against the action of the toxophore 

 group. Furthermore, the fact that immunized animals behave 

 similarly proves merely that in these animals, after immunization, 

 the ganglion cells still possess receptors. According to the side- 

 chain theory the antitoxins present in the blood act merely by sat- 

 isfying the toxins which gain access to the blood and deflect these 

 from the organs still possessing receptors and hence still sensitive. 

 The observations of Roux and Borrel are therefore in entire har- 

 mony with the views of Ehrlich. 



1 Reprint from Munch, med. Wochenschrift, No. 28, 1900. 



2 Ehrlich and Morgenroth designate those combining groups of the proto- 

 plasmal molecule to which a foreign group, when introduced, attaches itself 

 "RECEPTORS." See also page 24. 



3 Klinisches Jahrbuch, 1S97, Vol. VI; Werthbemessung des Diphtheric 

 Heil-serum, Jena, Fischer, 1897. 



4 Annales de 1'Institut Pasteur, 1898. 



B Ergebnisse der allgemein. Pathologie, etc. IV. Jahrgang, iiber 1897 



47 



