328 SYMBIOGENESIS 



The phenomena of general anaphylaxis, concerning which we know 

 little as yet, must be studied thoroughly. Up to the present we have 

 been concerned only with specific anaphylaxis. But general anaphylaxis, 

 that is the increase of sensitivity be it ever so light to all poisons as 

 the result of the injection of a single antigen, will possess very great 

 interest and will carry from a practical as well as from a doctrinal 

 point of view, important consequences. 



In other words, again, the organism is "generally" 

 weakened and impoverished by poison. Its symbiotic powers 

 are diminished and the pathogenetic changes that have become 

 necessary result in an inhibition of other vital chemical 

 reactions. This it is precisely which in the long run leads to a 

 loss of vital biological correspondences and, hence, to retro- 

 gression or "degeneration" (" Entartung "), and the funda- 

 mental cause of it very generally was metabolic transgression, 

 i.e., in-feeding. 



In his concluding chapter, Prof. Richet makes another 

 attempt to rise above technical and local considerations into 

 the sphere of biological interpretation. Summarising his 

 results, he says: 



The fundamental feature of anaphylaxis is the modification of the 

 cells of an organism by the injection of a dissimilar albuminoid sub- 

 stance, so that they seem to react with greater intensity on the repetition 

 of the injection. 



Our own conclusion is that such an injection is injurious : 

 (a) because it is a mutilation ; (6) because it introduces bio- 

 logically inadequate or antagonistic material which is bound 

 to turn to poison; (c) because it avoids and sets at nought the 

 protective action of the digestive juices-; (d) because it 

 diminishes the organism's resisting and eliminative powers ; 

 and (e) because it generally and bio-economically tends to 

 impoverish the organism. 



We have preferred the term pathogenesis to anaphylaxis, 

 and we have observed that the phenomena of anaphylaxis 

 throughout come under the same head as those more gradual 

 pathogenetic phenomena induced by perpetual in-feeding, 

 which we found to be abhorred by Nature, because they run 



