CHAPTER LXXIX 



ABDERHALDEN'S DIALYSIS REACTION AND THEORY OF THE 

 SO-CALLED "PROTECTIVE" FERMENTS 



J. BRONFENBRENNER 



Laboratories of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, New York City 



The cells of the body are able to assimilate only the substances present in the 

 blood as its normal constituents. The changes brought about in the composition of 

 the blood by the introduction of foreign material lead to more or less pronounced dis- 

 turbances in the processes of cellular nutrition. The experimental study of the phe- 

 nomena of disposal of foreign material thus introduced revealed a number of facts 

 pointing to the tendency on the part of the cells to elaborate a special mechanism by 

 means of which they are able to protect themselves in a specific manner against the 

 injurious effects of disturbances of their normal nutrition. 



According to Abderhalden, this "protective" mechanism, at least in part, con- 

 sists in the production of specific ferments, which directly attack the foreign material. 

 These ferments are independent of antibodies which may be produced simultaneously. 

 Indeed, the production of antibodies has been definitely demonstrated only in re- 

 sponse to parenteral introduction of complete plant or animal proteins, or their com- 

 plexes (and that usually on condition that these substances be foreign to the species 

 of the recipient).' The mobilization of protective ferments, on the contrary, has been 

 stated to take place also in response to parenteral introduction of such comparatively 

 simple nitrogenous substances as gelatin, peptone, or even of substances like cane 

 sugar, entirely free from nitrogen.^ The group of substances which are capable of 

 acting as antigen and cause the production of antibodies is thus included among the 

 substances capable of stimulating the production of specific ferments, but is only a 

 part of the latter.^ Moreover, Abderhalden has found that not only foreign sub- 

 stances, introduced experimentally,'' or those penetrating parenterally as a result of 

 infection, but also autogenous tissue cells, or their products, not usually present in the 

 blood {Bluifremd) , and finding their way into the bloodstream under special physio- 

 logical and pathological conditions, may cause the appearance in the blood of specific 

 ferments.5 Consequently, by bringing such a blood serum in contact with a suitable 



'The lens, casein, fibrin, thyroglobulin (Hektoen, L.: /. Immunol., 14, i. 1927), and the 

 placenta tissue (Bronfenbrenner, J.: J. Exper. Med., 21, 480. 1915; Smith, G. H., and Musselman, 

 L. K.: /. Immunol., 12, 7. 1926) represent authenticated exceptions to this rule. They all gi\-e 

 rise to tissue-specific and not species-specific antibodies. 



^Weinland, E.: Ztschr. f. Biol., 47, 279. 1907; Abderhalden, E.: Alncelirfermenle (4th ed.), 

 p. 58. Berlin, 1914. 



3 Weinland, E.: loc. cit. 



4 Abderhalden, E.: op. cit., pp. 77 and 78. Berlin, 1914; Heilner, E., and Petri, T.: Miinchen. 

 vied. Wchnschr., 60, 1530. 1913. 



s Abderhalden, E.: op. cit., pp. 92 and 93. Berlin, 1914. 



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