PROTEIN SENSITIZATION OR ANAPHYLAXIS 297 



he had prepared as a toxin. One of the conclusions stated 

 in the paper in which he reported this work is as follows: 

 "Die Bildung eines Antitoxin gegen das Anaphylatoxin 

 ist mir bischer noch nicht einwandsfrei gelungen, jedoch 

 ist sie wahrscheinlich." He also concluded that the poi- 

 sonous action of this substance is destroyed by a temperature 

 of 65. So far he has not announced the successful prepara- 

 tion of an antitoxin, and further research has convinced 

 him that anaphylatoxin is thermostable. In these respects, 

 therefore, anaphylatoxin does not differ from the poison 

 obtained by the cleavage of proteins with chemical agents 

 or ferments. Later, Friedberger 1 became convinced that 

 anaphylatoxin is not a specific body; it is a common product 

 of the cleavage of diverse proteins. This, also, distinguishes 

 it from toxins, one invariable characteristic of which is their 

 specificity. 



One of the most important contributions made to the 

 literature of anaphylaxis is the paper by Friedberger and 

 Vallardi. 2 In this contribution Friedemann is properly 

 credited with having been the first to produce the anaphyl- 

 actic poison by ferment action in vitro. The following 

 statement is made: "Concerning the nature of anaphyl- 

 atoxin we know nothing, but we are justified in assuming 

 its close relationship to the split product obtained by 

 Vaughan and Wheeler through the action of alkaline 

 alcohol on proteins, also the similarity of its action with 

 that developed by poisoning with peptone, as shown by 

 Biedl and Kraus, and Pfeiffer and Mita, is evident." 



With specific precipitates, the stroma of blood corpuscles, 

 and with whole corpuscles, under the action of ambo- 

 ceptor and complement, anaphylatoxin was developed, 

 and its effect on fresh animals was demonstrated. The 

 specific precipitates were obtained by treating rabbits with 

 lambs' blood and then mixing the sera from these animals. 

 Such precipitates were collected in a centrifuge, washed 



1 Zeitsch. f. Immunitatsforschung, 1910. vi. 179. 



2 Ibid., 1910 vii, 94. 



