610 



Elsewhere ') we have pointed out that the result agrees with a 

 great umnber of clinical experiences. The gynaecologist Fochikr from 

 Lyons for example has successfully applied turpentine in the treat- 

 ment of puerperal fever. For this purpose he injects turpentine under 

 the skin which gives rise to an abscess in this place and the fever 

 soon disappears. 



FocHiER thinks that the abscess attracts the noxious substances 

 which cause the fever, thus rendering them inactive. He speaks of 

 an "Abscès de fixation". 



In veterinary circles this treatment has caused niucli enthusiasm. 

 The pneumonia (crupposa) of horses is at present chiefly and success- 

 fully treated with turpentine-injections. In the veterinary School at 

 Utrecht for instance J. J. Wester adopted this method with excellent 

 results. 



He justly doubts, however, whether we are right in assuming an 

 "abscès de fixation". No plausible reasons can be adduced for this 

 hypothesis. Therefore he is more inclined to attribute this favourable 

 result to an improved action of the heart. 



It seems not impossible to me that this factor has to be reckoned 

 with. But it is certainly not the only one; for in Denmark the same 

 treatment is successfully applied to chronic mastitis of the cow. And 

 a better action of the heartj such as is often necessary in pneumonia, 

 would be of no avail here. 



Therefore we hace asked ourselves if this favourable effect of 

 turpentine may not he e.i'ijlained by assuming that this substance enters 

 the circulation from the place of injection as a loeak solution, thus 

 stimulating the phagocytosis also in the hearths of the disease, irhiclt 

 woidd assist the curative process. 



From a technical point of view, however, it is very difficult to 

 investigate the degree of jjhagocytosis in an inflamed centre and to 

 determine thus whether the activity of the phagocytes has increased. 



This seemed possible, however, by chemotactical experiments. 



For this purpose, just as in the case of Calcium, tw^o methods 

 were adopted -). 



The first method consisted in capillary tubes, filled with an extract 

 of coli bacteria, being placed under the skin of one of the hind legs 



1) Hamburger: Physilvaliscli-chemische Untersuchungen über Pliagozyten. Ihre 

 Berieutung vom allgemein biologisclien und patliologischen Gesichtspunkt. Wies- 

 baden, J. F. Bergm.ann, 1912, p. 159. 



~) Cf. Hamburger. The effect of slight quantities of Calcium on the motion of 

 the pliagocytei;. Proceedings of the Meeting of May 28, 1910. 



