XIV PREFACE AND SUMMARY OF CONTENTS. 



medullary centers thus became mere connecting nuclei, which, 

 stimulated or injured, however, could become the source of all 

 the morbid phenomena recorded by physiologists. The poste- 

 rior pituitary body also proved to be the center upon which all 

 emotions, shock, psychical or traumatic, and kindred sources 

 of excitement or depression react, impairment of its functions 

 accounting for the pathological phenomena now ascribed to 

 such causes. Again, as the general center of the nervous sys- 

 tem, it was found to be the anterior pituitary body's co-center 

 in sustaining the cellular metabolism of all organs. While the 

 anterior pituitary body insured oxygenation of the blood 

 through the adrenal secretion, the posterior pituitary body 

 adjusted and governed the functional activity of all organs 

 through the nervous system. This accounts for the fact that 

 both cerebral hemispheres can be removed from various ani- 

 mals without materially impairing the functions of their motor, 

 vascular, respiratory, and nutritive systems. But it also sug- 

 gests that an organ so sensitive to external impressions should 

 likewise be easily influenced, directly or indirectly, whenever 

 pathogenic agencies, poisons, drugs, etc., are present in the 

 blood. Indeed, we ascertained that the posterior pituitary was 

 an important feature of the morbid process in influenza, hay 

 fever, hysteria, catalepsy, and other obscure affections. 



The pancreas and spleen may be considered jointly, since, 

 as long ago asserted by Schiff, the secretions of these two organs 

 unite in the formation of a powerful proteolytic ferment, a 

 process subsequently defined by Herzen as the one leading to 

 the conversion of trypsinogen into trypsin: the albumin-solving 

 constituent of the pancreatic juice. While confirming this 

 view, our own analysis led to the conclusion that, in addition 

 to the trypsin supplied to the intestinal canal, a portion of this 

 ferment passed into the splenic vein as an internal secretion and 

 thence into the portal vein. We also ascertained that this fer- 

 ment played a leading part in all immunizing processes, its main 

 function in the blood-stream being to destroy toxic albuminoids. 

 These, as is well known, include all toxins and diastases secreted 

 by bacteria, proteids, toxalbumins, vegetable poisons, and 

 venoms. 



Immunity, or rather the various subjects usually grouped 



