VAUGHAN AND ABDERHALDEN 255 



duction of the foreign protein, the organism has gained a new 

 power, that of splitting up the foreign protein. 



It is at this point that Abderhalden's observations acquire a 

 high significance. In 1910 Abderhalden with various pupils 

 published a remarkable series of " serological studies by means 

 of the optical method." Starting from the fact that the different 

 proteins and peptones present each in the polariscope a specific 

 index of rotation, he demonstrated first that, as determined by 

 the polariscope, the ingestion through the alimentary tract of 

 any particular protein has absolutely no effect upon the blood 

 serum ; its rotatory power is unaltered from the normal. But 

 inject any of the more common proteins subcutaneously or 

 directly into the blood, and in twenty-four or forty-eight hours 

 remove some of the blood, separate the plasma, add to this a 

 little of the protein, and now a remarkable change is seen : 

 the index of rotation of the plasma undergoes progressive altera- 

 tion, a clear indication that the protein is being broken down, 

 and this is confirmed by the fact that by dialysis peptones can 

 be separated off. In other words, within forty-eight hours 

 after the introduction of a foreign protein, the system has re- 

 sponded either by elaborating a proteolytic or proteoclastic 

 enzyme, or, it may be, by the rapid increase in production and 

 discharge of already existing proteoclastic enzyme present in 

 certain cells. What I would especially emphasize is the fact 

 that the enzyme thus first liberated is not specific. It is an 

 indifferent proteoclastic ferment : it will act not only on the 

 particular protein inoculated, but on other proteins : it will 

 break down indifferently globulin, casein, edestin, gelatin, and 

 their peptones, with the evolution of toxic peptone-like bodies. 



It might be laid down that this indifferent ferment first pro- 

 duced is the cause of the anaphylactic phenomena. Against this 

 view is the fact that Abderhalden's ferment is recognizable in 

 twenty-four to forty-eight hours, whereas anaphylactic pheno- 

 mena are not obtainable until the sixth to the tenth day. This 

 in itself is not absolute disproof, for one of the factors governing 

 the rate of enzyme action is the amount of enzyme present, and 

 this might well depend upon the accumulation of a sufficient 

 amount of the enzyme. The amounts should be large to cause 

 dissociation of the foreign proteid at such a rate and such an 

 extent as will lead to the production of symptoms. 



