HOW THE BODY FIGHTS DISEASE 



haustive study of inflammations. Whether they 

 occur from a wound or from disease, always he 

 noted the presence, in abnormal quantity, of the 

 big white corpuscles which float about in the blood 

 and the lymph. Inside these white cells he would 

 find great numbers of the microbes specific to the 

 inflammation under view. The microbes were in 

 various stages of digestion; it seemed as if the big 

 corpuscles' office was to devour the microbes and, if 

 possible, kill them. Sometimes the number ingest- 

 ed was too great ; then the corpuscle itself was de- 

 stroyed; and, if this were general, the inflamma- 

 tion extended, the victim died. 



In his picturesque Northern imagination, 

 Metchnikoff came to view infection and immunity 

 as a war of microbes and white cells. Against the 

 invading hosts of disease the corpuscles went out to 

 battle to conquer or die. This was the way in 

 which the body fights disease. The great Russian 

 gave to the white corpuscles the name of phagocytes 

 the "devouring cells" and styled the process 

 phagocytosis. His ideas were stimulative; they 

 aroused adherents and doubters alike, and a splen- 

 did work has followed. 



All sought to penetrate yet deeper. Granted, 

 said the doubters, that the white corpuscles of the 

 blood are in reality microbicides, is this all? When 

 the scrum of an inoculated animal is injected 



277 



