46 THE PROTEOMORPHIC THEORY AND THE NEW MEDICINE 



cleavage is effected, that are actually toxic though not in the 

 same degree as the artificially produced product of Vaughan. 

 These are the familiar end products uric acid, urea, and creati- 

 nine substances with which the body has learned to cope by 

 bringing about their early elimination. Save for this small residual 

 portion, the protein molecule will have been transformed into 

 amino-acid foodstuffs which, we may suppose, do not differ 

 in any essential particular from those supplied in far larger 

 bulk from the usual digestive-tract proteolysis of the proteins, 

 including the stages of dismemberment effected in the walls of 

 the intestine itself during absorption. 



So much has been said about the toxic molecule elaborated 

 in the course of protein hydrolysis in Vaughan's laboratory ex- 

 periments that it is desirable to call attention to the fact that 

 this is an artificial product devised by special manipulation. The 

 possibility that similar toxic molecules are developed in normal 

 proteolysis of the protein molecule has been considered above. 

 But experience shows that if such toxic molecules are indeed 

 developed, short of the familiar end products (of which there 

 is no evidence), they are handled in such a way as to shield 

 the system against untoward consequences. The entire thera- 

 peutic procedure under discussion in the latter part of this vol- 

 ume (namely, Proteal therapy) is based on the hypodermic in- 

 jections of foreign proteins. Toxic results (aside from a tem- 

 porary anaphylactic reaction) have not been observed. 



Moreover, in experimentally testing the Proteals I have admin- 

 istered vegetable proteins of many types hypodermically to small 

 (400 to 800 gram) guinea pigs day after day in doses of 20 to 

 30 milligrams, with no harmful effects whatever. The animals 

 thrive under the treatment, proving conclusively that there are 

 no toxic molecules developed in the natural hydrolysis of these 

 vegetable proteins with which their corpuscles (or other tissues) 

 cannot adequately cope. 



It should be recalled, however, that the proteins with which 

 these therapeutic tests and animal experiments are made all 

 have their origin in vegetables not far removed, botanically, from 

 food plants, and hence are relatively non-toxic. This, however, 

 does not greatly change the argument, since (as above stated) 

 Vaughan liberates his toxic molecule from various types of pro- 

 tein indifferently. From the standpoint of practical therapeutics, 

 so far as present evidence carries us, this toxic molecule is a 

 negligible quantity in non-specific protein therapy. The admin- 

 istration of the Proteals day after day, for a term of months, 

 to patients who improve steadily in blood conditions and in gen- 

 eral health, sufficiently establishes that important point. 



