382 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. [Vol.43 



upon the changed absorption powers of the organism. The method employed 

 was to introduce Into the blood of rabbits, in connection with the usual ini- 

 nuinizing process, an excess of Na ions or Ca ions, thereby increasing the power 

 of absoi-ption of the antigen (egg albumin) and subsequently to determine tlie 

 antibody content of the animals. 



It Avas found that the administration of electrolytes influenced very 

 markedly the rate of absoi-ption of antigen, and that variations in antibody 

 content of the animals were parallel to the differences in the rates of absorp- 

 tion of the antigen. Similar experiments carried out on a series of animals 

 immunized to typhoid bacilli showed that the production of agglutinins, op- 

 sonins, and precipitins varied witli the rate of absorption of the antigen. 



These results are thought to indicate that the condition of permeability of 

 the cell with resjiect to its absorptive powers for the introduced antigen is a 

 factor of considerable importance in the production of innnunity. 



On the so-called Neisser-Wechsberg inhibiting i)henonienon in bacteri- 

 cidal inimnne sera, T. Th.t0tta {Jour. IminunoJ., 5 {1920), No. 1, pp. 1-38, fig. 

 1). — Various theories which have been advanced to explain the Neisser-AVechs- 

 berg phenomenon of complement deviation are discussed and tested from the 

 results of a series of experiments in which dysentery immune serum of rabbits 

 was used on account of the frequency of the occurrence of the phenomenon in 

 such sera. Among the points investigated were the dependence of the phenome- 

 non on amboceptcu's and complements, its importance for the total bactericidal 

 action of the immune serum, its variation during the immunization, and the 

 question as to whether the phenomenon is due to already known antibodies or 

 is brought about by unknown ones. The conclusions drawn from the investiga- 

 tion are as follows : 



" The inhibiting phenomenon of Neisser and Wechsberg is of a specific nature. 

 It is to be found in active as well as in inactive sera ; it develops during the 

 immunization and can be found in a very high degree in dysentery immune sera. 

 In active sera from immunized animals, examined without the addition of 

 foreign complement, the phenomenon presents itself as a complete abolition of 

 the normal bactericidal action. 



" Tlie inhibition is due to antibodies that arise during the immunization or 

 during the natural disease. These antibodies are not identical with the aggluti- 

 nins, the bacteriolysins, or the precipitins. They must be considered as spe- 

 cific antibodies, which combine with dissolved antigen to form molecular com- 

 plexes that have a marked tendency to absorb complement and to withdraw it 

 from the bactericidal antibodies. 



" The titer of inhibition is directly proportional to the employed dose of com- 

 plement. With a small dose of the latter, smaller doses of inhibiting anti- 

 bodies can be demonstrated than with a larger dose of complement. 



"The inhibiting antibodies do not affect the bacteria themselves, nor can 

 they be removed from the serum by absorption with an emulsion of the homolo- 

 gous bacilli. They can be demonstrated in sera that lack any bactericidal 

 action." 



Experiments on immunization with pseudoblackleg pellets, T. P. Haslam 

 and O. M. Franklin {Jo^ir. Infect. Diseases, 26 {1920). No. 5, pp. 42^-426).— 

 This is a report of experiments undertaken at the Kansas Experiment Station 

 to determine whether the commercial blackleg pellets, previously found by 

 Franklin and Haslam to consist of an organism similar to but not identical with 

 the true blackleg bacillus (E. S. R., 36, p. 180), possess any ability to immunize 

 calves against blackleg. 



One group of calves was vaccinated with the commercial pseudoblackleg 

 pellets and a second group witli pellets of the same virulence prepared in the 



