SUMMARY 



It seems inescapable that either alternative or any com- 

 bination of the two will require an extensive 'library' of 

 information to be stored, either individually or collectively, 

 in the cells of the antibody-producing system. 



(ii) It is certain that once antibody production has been 

 effectively established, there is a long-lasting retention of 

 information, in man lasting very many years, which must 

 be mediated by some form of genetic transmission from cell 

 to descendant cell. The prolonged ability to respond to 

 a 'booster' of tetanus toxoid and Davenport's phenomenon 

 of the re-evocation of the serological pattern of the first 

 influenza A antibody produced may be quoted. 



(iii) In agammaglobulinaemic persons many characteristic 

 immune responses can be carried out in the absence of 

 plasma cells and circulating gamma globulin antibodies. In 

 the case of all these residual activities there is some evidence 

 to link them to lymphocyte functions. 



(iv) Some normal antibodies such as the human red cell 

 woagglutinins behave in essentially similar fashion to classical 

 antibody. 



(v) There are at least three sharply differentiated types of 

 immune response. 



These are the points on which I believe most stress should 

 be laid in discussing the nature of the immune responses. 



REFERENCES 



Algire, G. H., Weaver, J. M. & Prahn, R. T. (1954). J. nat. Cancer 



Inst. 15, 493. 

 Bacsich, p. & Wyburn, G. M. (1956). Nature, Lond., 178, 1228. 

 Battisto, J. R. & Chase, M. W. (1955). Fed. Proc. 14, 456. 

 BiLLiNGHAM, R. E. & BoswELL, T. (1953). Proc. Roy. Soc. B, 141, 382. 

 BiLLiNGHAM, R. E., Brent, L. E. & Medawar, p. B. (1956). Phil. Trans. 



239, 357- 

 Bruton, O. C. (1952). Pediatrics, 9, 722. 



Burnet, F. M. (1940). Production of Antibodies (ist ed. Melbourne). 

 Cole, L. R. & Favour, C. B. (1955). J. exp. Med. loi, 391. 

 Coons, A. H., Leduc, E. H. & Connolly, J. M. (1955). J. exp. Med. 



I02, 49. 



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