16 



INTRODUCTION TO IMMUNOCHEMICAL SPECIFICITY 



logically must combine with specific antibody, ought in a similar 

 way to prevent or diminish precipitation of the anti-hapten antibody 

 with a hapten-protein compound. Experiments showed that this does 

 in fact happen. Thus Landsteiner invented the inhibition reaction, 

 which has been of enormous value in the study of immunochemical 

 specificity. How specific inhibition works is shown schematically in 

 Fig. 2-4. 



Antibody 



Antigen 



Precipitate or ogglutinate 



Antibody 



Antibody- hapten 

 complex 



No precipitate 

 or agglutinate 



Antibody- tiopten Antigen 



complex 



Fig. 2-4. Principle of inhibition by a iiaptcn of serological reactions. 



