PROTEIN SENSITIZATION OR ANAPHYLAXIS 229 



Through the courtesy of White and Avery we have been 

 permitted to read an unpublished research of theirs on 

 "Some Immunity Reactions of Edestin." From this we 

 excerpt the following findings: (1) The smallest sensitizing 

 dose of pure crystallized edestin given intraperitoneally 

 is 0.0001 mg. Guinea-pigs sensitized with this dose react 

 fatally when the reinjection intravenously is not less than 

 50 mg. When the sensitizing dose is from 0.1 to 5 mg., 

 0.5 mg. causes a fatal dose on intravenous reinjection. 

 (2) Guinea-pigs sensitized to edestin do not react on intra- 

 venous injection of gliadin, or globulins from squash seed, 

 castor bean, and the hazel-nut. Two animals reacted, 

 one fatally, to intravenous injections of flaxseed globulin. 

 The fatal dose of flaxseed globulin was, however, from 

 forty to one hundred and twenty times the minimum fatal 

 intoxicating dose of edestin. (3) Guinea-pigs from a sensi- 

 tized mother inherit sensitization, though in a lessened 

 degree. (4) The intraperitoneaL injection of from 0.05 to 

 0.1 c.c. of edestin immune serum into a guinea-pig sensitizes 

 the latter to such an extent that it reacts fatally to an 

 intravenous injection of edestin on the following day. (5) 

 "When edestin is hydrolyzed by an alcoholic solution of 

 sodium hydrate by the method of Vaughan, a substance 

 is formed which produces a fatal intoxication in the guinea- 

 pig apparently identical with true anaphylactic shock. The 

 intravenous injection of one part of this poison to forty 

 thousand parts of guinea-pig by weight constitutes the 

 minimum fatal dose." It should be stated that this is the 

 crude poison. (6) "When suitable amounts of edestin and 

 edestin-immune serum are allowed to remain in contact 

 for a given length of time, a precipitate is formed which, 

 when washed with salt solution and mixed with fresh 

 guinea-pig complement and incubated at body temperature, 

 yields a substance or substances which when injected into 

 a guinea-pig intravenously produces a fatal intoxication, 

 apparently identical in every way with the anaphylactic 

 reaction. Fresh complement, when allowed to act under 

 similar conditions with edestin alone, yields no poisonous 



