ESMOND R. LONG 1025 



volved in its production, however, although many times and extensively investigated, 

 has never been explained to the satisfaction of all interested. 



The most attractive hypothesis, which would simplify our conceptions enormous- 

 ly if it could be properly supported, is the one originally developed by NicoUe' and 

 Wolfif-Eisner,^ and more recently elaborated with experimental detail by Zinsser. 

 According to the Nicolle view, lysins exist within the tuberculous body not only for 

 the tubercle bacillus itself, but also for its endotoxin, tuberculin. The products of this 



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y^yi^ • 





Fig. s- — Tubercle in lung of guinea pig twenty-four hours after heavy dose of tuberculin. Note 

 poorly defined border and exudation of cells and plasma in surrounding alveoli. 



lysis of tuberculin are toxic and capable of inciting acute inflammation. Inasmuch as 

 it is only the tuberculous organism which possesses the necessary lysin, it is only to the 

 tuberculous that tuberculin can be toxic. 



A number of results prior to those of Zinsser partially support this view. Bail^ 

 claimed in a series of investigations that while tuberculin alone was not toxic for the 

 normal animal, it became so if the crushed tuberculous tissue from a tuberculous ani- 



' Nicolle, M., and Abt, G.: Ann. dc I'lnst. Pasteur, 22, 132. igoS. 



2 Wolff-Eisner, A.: Bed. klin. Wchnschr., 47, 1651. 1910. 



3 Zinsser, H., and Tamiya, T. : /. Exper. Med., 44, 753. 1926. 



■' Bail, O.: Zlschr.f. Imnumiidlsforsch. it. exper. Therap., 12, 451. 1912. 



