INTRODUCTION 27 



continued. In our own attempts in this direction we have 

 met with enough encouragement to lead us to be hopeful 

 of ultimate success, while admitting present failure In 

 our opinion, it is not only unwise, but unjustifiable to treat 

 advanced cases of tuberculosis with tuberculin or other 

 tuberculo-sensitizer. So long as the disease is strictly localized 

 and the body in general is not sensitized, such treatment 

 can find reasonable justification. Our theory is that in 

 strictly localized infections the proper use of a specific 

 sensitizer may cause the more general and abundant forma- 

 tion of a specific proteolytic ferment which may aid in the 

 destruction of the infecting organism. In our opinion 

 sensitization consists in the development of a new function 

 in the body cells. In strictly local infections this new 

 function has been developed only in the infected area, and 

 to establish a like function in more distant cells may be 

 beneficial. The present tendency on the part of the pro- 

 fession to employ all kinds of bacterial proteins as vaccines 

 is, in our opinion, not only unscientific, but wholly without 

 justification. It should be clearly understood that with 

 every protein injected into the body a most potent poison 

 is introduced, and caution in the use of vaccines is not 

 out of place. 



16. Toxin immunity and bacterial immunity are radically 

 different. This is a point upon which we shall frequently 

 touch, and we hold that attempts to describe one of these 

 forms of immunity in terms of the other have not only 

 been unwarranted by the facts, but have led to unnecessary 

 confusion. 



17. The protein poison is not a toxin. It elaborates no 

 antibody, and while its repeated use in non-fatal doses may 

 establish a certain tolerance, it gives no immunity com- 

 parable in either nature or degree with that obtained by 

 like employment of toxins. 



18. The protein poison is not specific. 



19. The tolerance which may be secured by the protein 

 poison is not specific. 



