Gay and Rusk.] THE LOCUS OF ANTIBODY FORMATION. 3 



Among the fixed tissues, the liver and spleen seem to have shared 

 the honors as the possible sites of hemolysin formation. Leuck- 

 hardt and Becht, 13 following the work of Hektoen and Carlson, 

 found that the spleen alone of the organs in a dog that has received 

 goat or rat corpuscles 24 hours previously has the property of im- 

 munizing new animals. As a proof of the temporary location of the 

 red blood cells that have been injected, this evidence is undoubted, 

 although well recognized from other work; as a proof of the spleen 

 as the site of antibody formation it would seem to be negative. The 

 statement by London 16 that splenectomy decreases the formation of 

 hemolysins is categorically denied by Jakusche witch. 17 Brezina 18 

 found that a specific serum against the leucopoietic organs had no 

 effect in disturbing hemolysin formation. Carrel and Ingebristen 19 

 have produced hemolysins in the growing embryonic spleen. 



The evidence in favor of the liver as the site of hemolysin for- 

 mation is more positive. Both Cantacuzene 12 and McGowan 13 have 

 shown the function of Kiipfers cells in the destruction of red blood 

 corpuscles. Muller, 20 in an interesting paper, has apparently traced 

 normal hemolysin formation to the liver and has even been able to 

 stimulate its excretion in the liver suspended in Ringer's solution 

 outside thebody, by transfusing it with solutions containing iodine 

 (iodipin). A further contribution to the stimulating effect of iodin 

 compounds is given by Hektoen 21 who was able to increase the output 

 of hemolytic sensitizers in dogs by injecting sodium iodoxybenzoate. 

 Violles 10 method of producing antibodies by gall-bladder injection 

 has already been referred to under bacteriolysins. 



AGGLUTININS. 



Whereas the evidence for bacteriolysin formation seemed to favor 

 formation in the spleen or liver, the evidence for the locus of origin 

 of the bacterial agglutinins points distinctly to the blood stream. 

 Thus the work of Deutsch, 5 Castellani, 6 Rath, 22 Weil and Braun, 23 

 and Kraus and Schiffrnann 24 all shows that the agglutinins appear 

 in the blood serum before they are present in the extract of any 

 organ. Although Gruber 25 originally suggested that the polymor- 

 phonuclears form the agglutinins, no experimental evidence goes to 

 prove this. The experiments of Achard and Bensaud, 26 Widal and 

 Sicard, 27 of Paetsch, 9 and of Kraus and Schiffmann 24 all seem to 

 disprove leucocj^tic or local origin. 



There is some evidence of agglutinin formation in the spleen 

 offered by v. Emden, 28 Jatta, 29 and Girgoleff. 30 



PRECIPITINS (ANTIBODIES OF SOLUBLE ANTIGENS). 



In the case of precipitin formation, again the evidence seems 

 divided. It is shown by two sets of observers (Petit and Carlson, 81 



