94 BIOLOGY OF PNEUMOCOCCUS 



and fatal toxic or poisonous effects with saline extracts and bile 

 solutions of pneumococci. The intravenous injection of the latter 

 materials into guinea pigs initiated a train of symptoms terminat- 

 ing in a type of death resembling that seen in acute anaphylaxis. 



In the same year, Rosenow 1166 published a series of four papers, 

 in which he described observations similar to those of Cole, accom- 

 panied by an explanation of the observed phenomena. In the first 

 article Rosenow reported that a single injection of saline autoly- 

 sates of Pneumococcus, Pneumococcus-leucocyte mixtures, pneu- 

 mococcal exudates, and mixtures of the organism with normal or 

 immune serum, all produced identical symptoms in normal guinea 

 pigs, and that the symptoms were those of acute anaphylaxis. The 

 serum of animals sensitized to Pneumococcus when allowed to act 

 on the organisms produced this toxic substance more rapidly than 

 did normal serum, and this toxin production as measured by the 

 polariscope was accompanied by a more rapid proteolysis. Mor- 

 phine, ether, urethan, atropin, and adrenalin protected normal 

 guinea pigs against the poisonous action of the preparations just 

 as they protected sensitive pigs on re-injection. Rosenow's conclu- 

 sions are significant: 



The behavior of normal and sensitized guinea pigs toward unauto- 

 lyzed extracts of pneumococci, which are non-toxic to the former and 

 very toxic to the latter, toward partially autolyzed extracts which are 

 very toxic to the former, and slightly or not at all to the latter, and 

 toward more completely autolyzed extracts, which are non-toxic to both, 

 speaks strongly in favor of the view of a rapid parenteral digestion 

 into toxic cleavage products in sensitized animals. 



He added that the cleavage products formed in vivo were identical 

 with the toxic substances obtained in vitro, and that the appear- 

 ance and disappearance of toxicity seemed to be definitely related 

 to proteolysis. Rosenow also reported that a single intravenous 

 injection of non-fatal doses of extracts before they had become 

 toxic, or while highly toxic, and especially after the toxic stage 

 had been passed, or of autolyzed pneumococci, rendered guinea 



