8 IMMUNO-CATALYSIS 



be free of specific antibodies capable of reacting with bacteria, and 

 bacterial, plant and other animal proteins. The injection of these ma- 

 terials into an animal creates changes resulting in the formation of 

 antibodies. With the appearance of antibodies the serum of such an 

 animal acquires the property of entering into specific chemical com- 

 bination (agglutination, precipitation) with the bacteria or the protein 

 used for immunization. Each species of protein thus stimulates the 

 formation of an antibody reactive sfecifically with itself. 



Several investigators have stated that in parallel with the appear- 

 ance of antibodies there is an increase in the serum globulin, not all of 

 which could be accounted for by the amount of antibody present. The 

 findings of a few investigators will be cited here. It is found (Liu, 

 Chow and Lee, 1937) that at most two-thirds, usually under one-half, 

 of the increase of globulin in rabbit's serum, or immunization with 

 pneumococci is accounted for by antibody. In contrast, the examina- 

 tion (Bj0rneboe, 1939) of 56 anti-pneumococcal rabbit sera of different 

 types for total and specific nitrogen led to the conclusion that the 

 increase in serum protein during immunization was due to antibody- 

 protein. The production of antibody-protein was therefore stated to 

 be an extra production of proteins. Immunization of rabbits with 

 different combinations of proteins— crystalline ovalbumin, Limulus 

 hemocyanin, Vivifarus (snail) hemocyanin, crystalline edestin and 

 Bence-Jones protein— was followed with respect to the increase in 

 serum globulin (Boyd and Bernard, 1937). The sera were fractionated 

 with 13.5 and 17.4 per cent sodium sulfate. The results showed that 

 the greatest increase takes place in the 13.5 per cent sodium sulfate 

 fraction, rising in one rabbit by 1275 per cent. The increase in the 

 17.4 per cent fraction, though still relatively enormous, was in general 

 not so large as that of the 13.5 per cent fraction. The measurements of 

 antibody showed that the great increase of globulin was not all, or 

 even chiefly attributable to the specific antibody produced. As a rule 

 the antibody increase was much less than that of the globulin, although 

 the two were generally parallel. There was no antibody in the albumin 

 fraction. These and numerous other investigations have thus shown 

 that in response to the stimulus of a foreign protein, the animal system 

 experiences an increase in antibody protein and at times in "non- 

 specific" proteins (see also van der Scheer, et ah, 1942). 



