314 IMMUNOLOGY 



in rabbit anaphylaxis there is lowering of the temperature, com- 

 plete blanching of the ear and when death occurs it is due to right 

 heart failure. 



The shortening of the incubation period in man following subse- 

 quent injections is not proof of anaphylactic or antigen-antibody 

 nature of serum sickness. As mentioned above a similar 

 phenomenon occurs in drug allergy. The accelerated reaction is 

 not an immediate one as in anaphylaxis but po.ssesses a delay of 

 six hours or more. The incubation period may be short because 

 of the toxic effect of the first injection upon the tissues permitting 

 a more rapid entry of substances into the cells. 



While we are inclined to regard serum sickness as a manifesta- 

 tion of some form of allergy, we agree with Coca that an antigen- 

 antibody mechanism has not as yet been established. 



References 



Bradshaw, D. B. : A New Serum in the Passive Control of Scarlet Fever, 

 Lancet 2: 6, 1939. 



Brodie, T. G.: The Immediate Action of an Intravenous Injection of Blood 

 Serum, J. Physiol. 26: 48, 1900. 



Bullowa, J. G. M. : The Management of the Pneumonias, New York, 1937, 

 Oxford University Press, p. 283. 



Coca, A. F.: Cited by Harten and Walzer, .T. Allergy 11: 69, 1939. 



Coca, A. F. : Essentials of Immunology, Baltimore, 1925, Williams & Wilkins. 



Coghill, Eobert D., Fell, Norbert, Creighton, Martha, and Brown, Gordon: 

 The Elimination of Horse-Serum Specificity From Antitoxins, J. Im- 

 munol. 39: 207, 1940. 



Dale, H. H. : The Anaphylactic Keaction of Plain Muscle in th« Guinea 

 Pig, J. Pharmacol. & Exper. Therap. 4: 167, 1913. 



Davidsohn, I. : Isoagglutinin Titres in Serum Disease, in Leukemias, in 

 Infectious Mononucleosis and After Blood Transfusion, Am. J. Clin. 

 Path. 8: 179, 1938. 



Davidsohn, I.: (a) Heterophile Antibodies in Scrum Sickness, J. Immunol. 

 16: 259, 1929. (b) Further Studies on Heterophile Antibodies in 

 Serum Sickness, Ibid. 18: 31, 1930. (c) Heterophile Antibodies in 

 Serum Sickness, J. Infect. Dis. 53: 219, 1933. 



Dean, H. K.: The Precipitation Eeaction. A System of Bacteriologj-, His 

 Majesty's Stationery Office, London (Vol. G, Immunity), 1931, p. 424. 



Fleisher, M. S., and Jones, L. R.: Serum Sickness in Rabbits With Manifesta- 

 tions of Serum Sickness, J. Exper. Med. 54: 597, 1931. Influence of 

 Various Sera Upon the Occurrence of Serum Sickness, J. Immunol. 24: 

 369, 1933. Immediate and Accelerated Reactions, Ibid. 24: 383, 1933. 

 Serum Sickness in Rabbits. VI I. A Method for Removing or Destroy- 

 ing tlie Factor Causing Serum Sickness, Ibid. 36: 511, 1939. 



Goodner, K., Horsfall, F. L., Jr., and Dubos, R. J.: Tj'pe Specific Anti- 

 pneumococcic Rabbit Serum for Therapeutic Purposes: Production, 

 Processing and Standardization, J. Immunol. 33: 279, 1937. 



Grabar, P.: Sur L 'action de la Pepsine sur Les Anticorps Antipneumo- 

 cocciques, Compt. rend. Acad. d. sc. 207: 807, 1938. 



