Origin and Action 47 



variable quantities in the spleen, bone-marrow and lymph glands, but never as 

 much as in the serum. He considers that they originate in the blood, and this 

 view is supported by a number of observers (Deutsch, 25, vn. 1900). Buffer and 

 Crendiropoulo (5, iv. 1902), studying the normal agglutinins in the rabbit and guinea- 

 pig, observed (what was already known) that the serum possessed agglutinating 

 power. A solution of red blood corpuscles, previously washed, did not agglutinate, 

 neither did similar solutions of formed elements from immunified animals exert an 

 agglutinating action. They on the other hand bring forward evidence to show 

 that agglutinins may be formed in the leucocytes, for an extract of leucocytes 

 from an immune animal had greater agglutinating power than did the same 

 animal's serum. These observations are certainly suggestive. Agglutinins are 

 transmitted to the foetus in utero. They have also been found in humor aqueus. 



The formation of agglutinins in animals subject to immunization, follows the 

 same laws as does that of other antibodies. As Deutsch (p. 720) says, they 

 gradually appear (3 4th day), increase in quantity for a time (1013 days) and 

 then gradually decrease in amount, there being of course individual differences 

 amongst animals in this respect. 



Pick (1902, pp. 3034) found that when he mixed typhoid (from 

 horse) and cholera (from goat) antisera, they acted independently 

 of one another when they were brought in contact with these germs. 

 This shows, as in Myers's experiment above noted, that there is no 

 interference exerted between the antibodies. The same thing has been 

 observed by others who have immunified animals with two species of 

 micro-organisms. Exactly comparable are the experiments made by 

 Uhlenhuth (11, ix. 1902) with different precipitating antisera, and (in a 

 measure) my earlier experiments (1, vn. 1901),in which I however reversed 

 the order, adding one antiserum to a mixture of bloods in solution. 



The influence of salts upon agglutination is in a sense comparable 

 to their action upon the precipitins. Bordet (ill. 1899, p. 236), 

 who first studied the question, found that after cholera germs had 

 been agglutinated in the ordinary way and were resuspended in 

 saline solution, he could reagglutinate them, but that they were not 

 reagglutinated if resuspended in water alone. Joos (1901) found that 

 antityphoid serum did not agglutinate B. typhosus in the absence of 

 salts. For agglutination to take place he considers salts as necessary 

 as the agglutinin and agglutinatable substance. He believes that 

 salts play an active part in the process, combining with both the other 

 substances, a conception which is contrary to Bordet's, that the 

 absence of salts offers only a physical impediment to agglutination. Joos 

 (p. 429) found that but a trace of salt added to washed bacilli which had 

 been impregnated with typhoid agglutinin immediately led to agglu- 



