W. H. MANWARING 993 



NON-SPECIFIC 



Protein hyjoersensitiveness may.be temporarily reduced or even completely 

 abolished in all animal species thus far studied by unfavorable food, gastro-intestinal 

 disturbances, unfavorable temperatures, rapid changes in temperature, wetting, 

 physical injury, pregnancy, intercurrent infections, and by the injection or inges- 

 tion of certain toxic substances. Among the most important desensitizing substances 

 are agar, foreign serum, foreign or homologous tissue products, heparin,' hirudin, 

 peptone, saccharose, glycerin and alcohol, and even sodium chloride if injected in 

 sufficiently large doses.^ 



Many anesthetics and narcotics act as desensitizing agents. For example, 

 chloral hydrate,^ chloroform, ethyl chloride, and cocaine will completely prevent ana- 

 phylactic reactions in guinea pigs. Ether given in excessive doses will appreciably 

 reduce the anaphylactic susceptibility in these animals. If used in minimal doses 

 however, morphine, ether, A-C-E-mixture, urethane, chloral, chloroform, chloretone, 

 paraldehyde, and sodium barbital^ have negligible anti-anaphylactic effects with most 

 animal species.^ 



PHYSIOLOGICAL REACTIONS 



CIRCULATORY DISTURBANCES 

 CARDIAC DISTURBANCES 



Electrocardiographic methods have been applied to anaphylactic phenomena in 

 cats,*' rabbits,' dogs,^ and guinea pigs.' Probably the most constant disturbance thus 

 revealed is the development of partial or complete heart-block. Heart-block has also 

 been demonstrated by parallel tracings of arterial and venous blood pressure." In 

 frogs, cardiac disturbances have been studied by means of heart levers attached to 

 the auricle and ventricle." 



The isolated blood-free mammalian heart can be readily tested for its independent 

 anaphylactic potentiality by the simplified perfusion method introduced by Gunn.'^ 

 The heart is removed from the pericardial sac, rinsed in Locke's solution, and the 

 ascending aorta drawn over a cannula delivering perfusion fluid at a constant tempera- 

 ture and pressure. Locke's solution, one of its modern variants, or Locke's solution 



^ Kyes, P., and Strauser, E. R.: /. Immunol., 12, 419. 1926. 



2 Richet, C, Brodin, P., and St. Girons, F.: Compt. rend. Acad, de sc, 169, 9. 1919. 



3 Banzhaf, E. J., and Famulener, L. W.: /. Infect. Dis., 7, 577. 1910. 



4 Drinker, C. K., and Bronfenbrenner, J.: loc. cil. 



s [A discussion of the symptomatology and the autopsy findings in various animals has been 

 omitted from this chapter. Cf. a similar presentation in the preceding chapter by Dr. Karsner. — ■ 

 Editors.] 



^ Lewis, T., and Mathison, G.: Heart, 2, 47. 1910. 

 7 Auer, J., and Robinson, G. C.: /. Exper. Med., 18, 450. 1913. 

 ^Robinson, G. C., and Auer, J.: ibid., p. 556. 1913. 

 9 Koenigsfeld, H., and Oppenheimer, E.: Klin. Wchnschr., i, 849. 1922. 

 ^o Auer, J., and Robinson, G. C.: loc. cit. 

 " Friedberger, E., and Mita, S.: loc. cit. 



" Gunn, J. A.: /. Physiol., 46, 506. 1913; Manwaring, W. H., and Williams, T. B.: /. Immunol.,' 

 8, 75- 1923- 



