PATHOGENESIS 317 



resistance is being weakened in many quite unforseeable 

 directions. 



The proposition of " alloy-formation " which I have 

 advanced receives considerable support from the following : 



Moreover it may be admitted that toxigen is fixed in some organic 

 tissue and only appears in the blood when in great excess. Apparently 

 it becomes localised in the cerebral tissue, and it is obvious that in 

 certain cases there is too little in the brain for it to be diffused in the 

 blood though there is enough to cause the animal to react to an exciting 

 injection. 



The brain thus, so long as it is not overdosed, vicariously 

 protects the general blood stream from the poison. To what an 

 extent it is thus pathogenetically prevented from discharging 

 its vital bio-chemical functions in other (positive) directions 

 remains to be seen. That there is a limit to its neutralising 

 powers becomes evident in the effects of the "exciting " injec- 

 tion, when the body is left to protect itself as best it can, and 

 when the general distress of the brain becomes also very 

 apparent (mind-blindness, etc.). 



The toxin injected into the blood is fixed in the brain, to disappear 

 slowly and be transformed into toxigen. Toxigen can therefore be con- 

 sidered an endotoxin fixed in the cells, especially in the nerve-cells, and 

 it is suddenly transformed into extremely toxic apotoxin at the moment 

 the toxin comes into contact with the cerebral cells. 



Evidently, then, an " alloy "-formation takes place, and 

 this toxigenesis is well on the way to pathogenesis. Inde caput 

 morbi. Either the vitality of the body is slowly undermined 

 or there is a striking instability; in which certain nitrogenous 

 matters are thus again seen to play a prominent part. With 

 any sudden and pronounced dominance of the poison an 

 " explosion," i.e., an acute sudden revolt of the body (an 

 anaphylactic shock) may be started. 



(The supposition is " that apotoxin is very unstable and 

 disappears quickly after its formation.") 



It seems that what is termed " anti-anaphylaxis " can be 

 induced by " repeated and massive doses " ; i.e., the symptoms 



