127 



If blood serum obtained from a non-tuberculous individual is 

 used for the action upon tuberculine, this reaction does not arise. 



So it already appeared from these experiments that in the 

 bloodserum of sufferers from tuberculosis a substance occurs, 

 which can transform tuberculine in such a way, that from non- 

 poisonous it may be made poisonous also to non-tuberculous 

 individuals. 



I further proved this by injecting a mixture of such blood- 

 serum and tuberculine into the abdomen, into the veins and 

 beneath the skin of healthy cobayas. 



In this way I could poison the experimental animals to a 

 high degree. After injections into the veins of rabbits I could 

 even cause important rises of temperature, which did not appear 

 when I injected either only bloodserum or only tuberculine- 

 solution. Neither did I see this, when I took bloodserum of 

 healthy persons. It seems to me, that by means of these series 

 of experiments I have supplied further proofs for the correctness 

 of the theory, composed by WOLFF-ElSNER i) in order to 

 explain the peculiarity of the tuberculine-action. A theory, also 

 treated of in detail and defended by Sahli 2) in his well known 

 booklet. 



After the finishing above mentioned experiments, I began to 

 analyze the peculiar reaction of tuberculous tissues following an 

 injection of tuberculine, administered to a tuberculous individual. 

 Such a strong reaction of the tuberculous tissue has often been 

 known to take place, that necrosis and decline may often be the 

 result. I have made an endeavour to imitate these phenomena 

 artificially. In the first place I asked myself, which factors 

 co-operate in this reaction. It is probable that chiefly the tuber- 

 culous tissue, white corpuscles, blood or tissue-fluid and the 

 injected tuberculine must bring about the reaction together. 

 "How" I now tried to unravel. 



In a test-tube I brought together the following substances : a 

 tissue (for which I took fibrine obtained from horse-blood), white 

 corpuscles (also extracted from horse-blood), tuberculine (Alt- 

 Tuberkuline, KoCH, HÖCHST) and bloodserum, obtained from a 



Ï) WoLFF-ElSNER. Früh-Diagnose u. Tuberk. Immunilät. Berlin 1909. 

 2) Sahli. Tuberkulin-Behandlung u. Tuberk. Immunität. 1913. 



