SHOCK • 25 



degree the activities of the component body cells. For 

 this reason, the name shock-toxin has been abandoned, 

 and the name cytost applied to the substance liberated 

 by cells which initiates the series of physiological 

 changes which may result in shock. It must be remem- 

 bered, however, that for such a state to ensue, a rela- 

 tively large amount of cytost must be liberated. 



From the standpoint of general biology, the effects 

 of small quantities of cytost upon the organism are of 

 far more importance than the effects of quantities suf- 

 ficiently great to cause shock. Indeed, as the reader 

 will see as our discussion progresses, cytost apparently 

 plays a unique role in the physiological behavior of 

 the animal. As the investigations concerning this as- 

 pect of our subject have been carried out almost ex- 

 clusively in the writer's laboratory, the primary ob- 

 ject of the succeeding chapters will be to disclose the 

 methods used in our experiments, the results obtained, 

 and the conclusions which may logically be deduced 

 from them. 



However, before passing to this admittedly more 

 interesting portion of the author's work, we shall 

 further discuss the earlier experiments relative to 

 shock. Such discussion is necessary for two reasons: 

 first that the reader may gain an insight into the finer 

 details of the action of cytost; and second that he may 

 follow without difficulty the gradual development 

 of the writer's thesis as it has taken place over a period 

 of some years. 



Let us now return to our discussion of shock par- 

 ticularly as regards the modes of experimentation 

 other than those previously considered. 



Years ago (Turck, 1897), the writer found that 



