1004 RADIATION BIOLOGY 



1948; Clemmesen and Andersen, 1948; Schwab et al, 1950; Burrows et al., 

 1950b; Kohn, 1951c). Some depression of antibody titer has been noted 

 when immunization precedes irradiation, but a given dose of X rays 

 becomes progressively less effective as the time of its administration is 

 delayed after the injection of antigen (Kohn, 1951c). The excretion of 

 fecal and urinary antibodies may be inhibited under these conditions 

 even though a deleterious effect on the serum titer is not apparent (Bur- 

 rows et al., 1950b). A transitory increase in the excretion of fecal and 

 urinary antibody has been observed in the guinea pig when immunization 

 with cholera O vaccine is begun 1 day, but not 3 days, after irradiation 

 (Burrows et al., 1950b). The apparently contradictory findings of 

 beneficial and detrimental effects of irradiation on infection conceivably 

 may be explained on this basis. Sublethal irradiation does not appear 

 to alter the rate of destruction of passively transferred homologous or 

 heterologous antisera (Hollingsworth, 1950; Borowskaja, 1946). The 

 capacity of the irradiated rabbit to produce antibodies to injected antigen 

 is largely retained if the spleen or appendix is shielded during exposure 

 (Jacobson, Robson, and Marks, 1950). It is not known whether the 

 shielded lymphatic tissue initiates antibody formation or makes it possible 

 for the process to be initiated elsewhere. 



Augmentation of antibody titer has been observed in immunized mice 

 after irradiation with 10 to 100 r (Dougherty et al., 1944). The "anam- 

 nestic reaction" does not occur in adrenalectomized mice and is thought 

 to be related to adrenal cortical stimulation, which results in lymphocyte 

 dissolution and release of 7-globulin. The anamnestic response of anti- 

 body titer has not been seen in rabbits after comparable low-dose irradia- 

 tion (Craddock and Lawrence, 1948). Local irradiation of the hind legs 

 of sensitized rabbits also fails to increase the amount of circulating anti- 

 bodies (Lecomte and Fischer, 1949). There are other indications that 

 the lymphocytes do not serve as a store of antibodies, since fairly large 

 dosages of X radiation do not result in an appreciable change in the 

 antibody concentration of lymph, despite the widespread destruction of 

 lymphatic tissue (Craddock et al., 1949). There is no clear indication 

 moreover of a relation between the height of antibody titer in serum and 

 lymph. The role of the adrenal cortex in the production and release of 

 antibody and 7-globulin has been questioned by others (Eisen et al., 

 1947;Fischele£aZ., 1949). 



NONSPECIFIC PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESSES 



In response to stress, there are evoked compensatory or buffer mecha- 

 nisms whose chief function is to maintain vital processes by minimizing 

 injury and promoting repair. The pituitary-adrenal and reticulo- 

 endothelial systems are concerned intimately with these phenomena. 



