182 COLLECTED STUDIES IN IMMUNITY. 



used. This showed conclusively that the globulicidal yroperty of 

 normal serum is due to the co-action of two bodies, one which withstands 

 heating (thermostable) and the other which does not (thermolabile.) 



These views have been accepted by the majority of investiga- 

 tors, and numerous observers, P. Miiller, 1 London, 2 E. Neisser, 

 and Doring 3 have constantly added new facts, the analysis of 

 which in every instance demonstrates the complex nature of nor- 

 mal hsemolysins. Nevertheless it does not seem to me superfluous 

 to thoroughly discuss this question once more, since such eminent 

 authorities as Buchner 4 and Gruber, 5 because of the negative result 

 of part of their experiments, hold that Ehrlich and Morgenroth's 

 conception of the nature of normal hsemolysins is erroneous. Ehrlich 

 and Morgenroth had from the beginning stated that the solution of 

 this problem in any particular case was only possible by their method 

 under certain favorable circumstances. Now, although Buchner and 

 Gruber have employed this method, so that a negative result proves 

 nothing whatever, in consideration of the importance of the matter 

 I have followed the suggestion of Prof. Ehrlich, 6 and undertaken 

 a critical study of the negative findings of these authors. The results 

 of this have already been briefly alluded to elsewhere. 



Buchner sought to discover the presenee of thermostabile bodies 

 (his " Hilfskorper ") on the occurrence of haemolysis, by reactivat- 

 ing normal sera, which had been inactivated by heating to 60 C., 

 with fresh serum of a different species. But out of the large number 

 of possible combinations he chose only one and used as a source of 

 complement only that serum which was derived from the same species 

 that furnished the blood-cells. In an address on the protective 

 bodies of the blood, delivered at the Hamburg Congress of Natu- 

 ralists, Ehrlich pointed out that this procedure was inapplicable. 

 It can surely not be expected that every serum contains a fitting 



1 P. Miiller, tiber Antihamolysine, Centralblatt fiir Bacteriologie, Vol. 29, 



1901. 



2 E. S. London, Contribution a I'e'tude des hemolysines, Arch, des Sciences 

 biolog. (Inst. imperial de m<d. exper. a St. Petersbourg), T. VI11, 1901. 



3 E. Neisser u. Doring, Zur Kenntniss der hamolytischen Eigenschaften des 

 menschlichen Serums, Berl. klin. Wochen. 1901, No. 22. 



4 Buchner, Sind die Alexine einfache oder complexe Korper? Berl. klin. 

 Wochenschr. 1901, No, 33. 



6 M. Gruber, Zur Theorie der Antikorper, II, Uber Bacteriolyse u. Hsemolyse, 

 Munch, med. Wochenschr. 1901, 48 and 49, 



8 Ehrlich, Vortrag im Verein fur innere Medicin, Dec, 16, 1901. 



