50 BACTERIAL POISONS 



too early; but it can be demonstrated, nevertheless, if the same 

 organism be tested in less resistant animals. While the chicken ch< >lera 

 bacillus thus kills chickens without evidence of pyogenie action, the 

 injection of sheep, horses, or guinea-pigs leads to the formation of 

 abscesses at the points of injection without a generalized septicemia. 

 This observation in itself goes to show that the specifically toxic 

 effect of the organisms in question is something separate and apart 

 from the pyogenie effect and evidently due to separate substances. 



Aside from their general and non-specific pyogenie properties the 

 bacterial proteins in themselves are not markedly dangerous to the 

 injected animal, but they have gained new importance, since it has 

 been demonstrated that the introduction of foreign albumins, of what- 

 ever kind, leads not to increased resistance (immunity) against such 

 proteins, but on the contrary to hypersensitiveness (anaphylaxis, 

 allergia), such that a subsequent injection, after a certain interval of 

 time, may produce the most serious symptoms and even death. As 

 a sensitization of this order can very well be imagined to occur in the 

 course of a bacterial disease, the thought has naturally suggested 

 itself, that certain symptoms occurring during the later stages of 

 various infections may be explained upon this basis (see section on 

 Anaphylaxis). But even disregarding their possible significance 

 from this point of view, their pyogenie property in itself is sufficient 

 to render them important. Through their attracting effect upon the 

 leukocytes (positive chemotaxis) they immediately assume a clinical 

 interest, and in certain infections no doubt (staphylococcus, strepto- 

 coccus, colon bacillus) they are responsible for a large portion of the 

 clinical picture (anemia, hyperleukocytosis, pus formation, fever). 



Summary. To sum up then we have seen that the picture of the 

 infectious disease, in so far as the microorganisms themselves are 

 concerned, may be referable (a) to the action of special exotoxins 

 which are actively secreted by the living bacteria; (6) to the action 

 of somewhat less specific endotoxins which enter into play only after 

 the death and destruction of the organisms; and (c) to the relatively 

 non-specific action of the bacterial proteins. The mechanism of the 

 action of these various substances will be considered in some detail 

 in a subsequent chapter. At this place it will suffice to point out 

 that in so far as a direct chemical effect upon the cells of the body 

 is concerned, this can only take place if a mutual affinity exists 

 between such cells and the toxic substances or their derivatives. 



