BACTERIAL INVASION 229 



the intestines in most individuals. Since, however, 

 the size of the protein molecule or micelle is very con- 

 siderably less than that of the bacteria used in the 

 author's experiments, one might expect them to dif- 

 fuse even more readily. When it is remembered that 

 the process of bacteriolysis may involve the action of 

 proteolytic enzymes, it seems likely that the non- 

 absorption of unhydrolyzed protein is possibly due 

 to the proteolytic activity of the Zona Transformans. 



Some individuals are sensitive to certain foodstuffs 

 w^hich upon ingestion give rise to anaphylactic reac- 

 tions of one sort or another. It would seem that this 

 effect must be due to the absorption of specific un- 

 hydrolyzed protein which for some reason or other 

 succeeds in passing the Zona Transformans in the same 

 fashion in which we have found bacterial invasion 

 to take place in animals wherein the shock was pro- 

 duced. 



At this time we do not wish to stress the medical as- 

 pects of these concepts, but it may not be amiss to 

 point out that the treatmentof infectious diseases might 

 be more intelligently prosecuted if the ideas devel- 

 oped in this chapter were kept in mind by the practi- 

 tioner. By this we do not wish to imply that the use 

 of specific antisera and medication should be super- 

 seded, but rather that such methods of proven value 

 might reasonably be supplemented by such methods 

 as lead to a lessened susceptibility to cytost. Those 

 interested in the writer's conclusions in this regard 

 should consult Chapter XIII, wherein this topic is 

 more fully discussed. 



