470 



BIOLOGY OF PNEUMOCOCCUS 



twenty-four hours later no redness at the point of injection. For 

 the details of the experiment the original communication of Kra- 

 mar and Gyiire should be consulted. The results led Kramar and 

 Gyiire to conclude that the cutaneous reaction to pneumococcal 

 autolysate was similar to that produced by tuberculin and the op- 

 posite of that caused by diphtheria toxin and, therefore, that the 

 pneumococcal skin test was an allergic reaction and was an ex- 

 pression of cellular immunity. 



In a theoretical discussion of the mechanism of skin reactivity 

 to Pneumococcus, Kramar and Gyiire presented the theory that 

 allergy represents a labile condition of the animal organism, since 

 artificial immunization causes positive reactivity to become nega- 

 tive reactivity, while colds, exhaustion, fatigue, massive infections, 

 and diseases other than pneumonia, and possibly the age of the 

 individual, change the state of allergy to one of anergy. Kramar 

 and Gyiire presented the following schematic representation of the 

 factors concerned in the three hypothetical states prevailing in 

 man in relation to hypersensitivity to Pneumococcus. 



Anergic phase — no 



protection 

 Skin test — negative 

 New born subjects 

 The number of nega- 

 tive reactors de- 

 creases with age 



II 



Allergic phase — labile 

 immunity 



Skin test — positive 



The majority of chil- 

 dren and adults 



The number of subjects 

 increases with age 

 among nurslings 



III 



Fastness — stable im- 

 munity 



Skin test — negative 

 The minority of chil- 

 dren and adults 

 Those artificially 

 immunized 



The authors explain that shifts in phase to the right are influ- 

 enced by increasing age of infants, by recovery from pneumococcal 

 infection, and by repeated slight infections such as common ca- 

 tarrh of the upper respiratory passages. Reverse shifts to the left 

 are brought about by the debilitating causes already mentioned. 

 The foregoing presentation of the subject of dermal allergy to 



