182 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



itself into tliree main parts: First, tbe working out of some details of acquired 

 sensitiveness to tuberculo-protein ; second, an investigation of tlie possibility 

 of rendering noutuberculous guinea pigs tolerant to tbe protein ; tbird, a study 

 of tbe course of experimental tuberculosis in seiisitized guinea pigs as com- 

 pared witb tbat in nonsensitized animals." Particular attention was given to 

 solving some problems in relation to tbe tuberculin reaction, tbe symptomology 

 of tuberculosis, tbe possibility of overcoming tbe bypersensitiveness to tuber- 

 culo-protein and tbe prudence of doing so, susceptibility to infection, etc. 



As a result of tbe work tbe autbor concludes tbat "sensitization of noutu- 

 berculous guinea pigs witb tuberculo-protein does not alter tbeir resistance to 

 experimental tuberculous infection, tbat sensitization to tuberculo-protein and 

 relative immunity (increased resistance) to infection can occur coincidently 

 in tbe same animals, and tbat resistance to infection is markedly lowered during 

 the period tbat a sensitized animal is suffering from symptoms of anaphy- 

 lactic shock." 



The inheritance of tuberculo-protein bypersensitiveness in guinea pigs, 

 A. K. Krause {Jour. Med. Research, 2Jt (1911), No. 3, pp. //69-//S2).— This work, 

 according to tbe author, confirms all the conclusions drawn by Lewis ^ (who 

 experimented with horse serum), and it also re-illustrates the correspondence 

 of tuberculo-bypersensitiveuess witb other forms of bypersensitiveness. 



The results are summarized as follows: "Tuberculo-protein hypersensitive 

 ness can be inherited from a sensitive, noutuberculous mother (thus confirm- 

 ing Baldwin). Tbe possibility of its inheritance is more or less irregular and 

 inconstant. It depends largely on tbe degree of sensitiveness of the mother at 

 tbe time of pregnancy. Tbe degree of sensitiveness of the offspring as a rule 

 varies directly witb tbat of the mother. The mother's sensitiveness is height- 

 ened by repeated applications of antigen, and, conversely, tends to die out with 

 time unless renewed by subsequent injections. The degree of senstiveness of 

 the offspring accordingly varies, depending on tbe time that has elapsed between 

 the mother's last dose and the former's birth. The degree of sensitiveness tbat 

 an animal inherits tends to diminish as it increases in age and size. Animals 

 of the same litter may vary greatly in the degree of sensitiveness which they 

 inherit. Congenitally sensitive animals may, however, maintain their anaphy- 

 lactic state for a very long time. One was still sensitive 404 days after birth, 

 and several when over 100 days old. Transmission by inheritance is probably 

 always or mainly one of antibodies. Hypersensitiveness is probably never 

 handed down to the tbird generation." 



Nontubercular mortality among' guinea pigs, R. A. O'Brien {Jour. Meat 

 and Milk Hyg., 1 {1911), No. 6, pp. 295-314, charts 2).— "The object of the 

 investigation was to determine tbe cause of the ' nontubercular mortality ' 

 amongst guinea pigs and any bearing this might have on the general question 

 of tbe purity of London milk. By ' nontubercular mortality ' [the autbor 

 means] the mortality from causes other than tuberculosis amongst guinea pigs 

 injected with tbe sediment from samples of milk. 



"A part of this 'nontubercular mortality' was due to infectious diseases 

 which the animals were incubating at tbe time they were inoculated with the 

 milk sediments, or with which they became infected during tbe month they 

 were allowed to survive prior to examination for tuberculosis. This was nota- 

 bly tbe case during November and December, 1909. 



" Infection by bacilli identical with those derived from the feces of cows 

 and other animals contained in the milk inoculated is responsible for a certain 

 amount of the 'nontubercular mortality,' this amount being impossible to de- 

 termine accurately. 



iJour. Expt. Med., 10 (1908), No. 1, pp. 1-29. 



