TYPHOID FEVER 67 



3. The influence of the lesions in the different tissues and 

 organs on the general state of the organism. 



Most if not all septicemic infectious diseases belong neces- 

 sarily in the same class. A septicemic bacteria can be patho- 

 genic only in case its albumin is antigenic for the organism; 

 in which case there will always be anaphylaxis. 



It is possible that in certain cases the action of albumins 

 may be completed by that of toxic secretions but the study of 

 these secretions in the pure state, that is to say, completely 

 separated from the products of bacteriolysis is still too incom- 

 plete to enable us to know whether or not they may be toxic 

 and may produce antibodies. At all events, and we cannot 

 repeat it too often, this question can have only a secondary 

 importance in the pathogenicity of disturbances observed 

 during the disease period because as these appear simul- 

 taneously with the appearance of antibodies in excess, they 

 must be of an anaphy lactic nature. And it is of little impor- 

 tance whether these products originate exclusively from 

 albumins or from exotoxins. 



Spontaneous Cure. Immunity and anaphylaxis are phe- 

 nomena of a general nature which may be applied to all living 

 beings, vegetable or animal, uni- or pluricellular; to bacteria 

 as well as to man. A bacterium which has penetrated into the 

 interior of a higher organism must adapt itself to this interior. 

 The organism will produce an intracellular antibody and will 

 be surcharged with it and this surcharge will increase the 

 degree of its immunity but at the same time it will also 

 increase the degree of its anaphylaxis. The antibody of the 

 infected organism will become antigenic for the bacteria in 

 exactly the same way and will produce on the bacteria the 

 same effects as the bacterial antibody produces on the 

 organism. 



It is this balance between the degrees of immunity and 

 anaphylaxis of the infecting bacteria on the one hand and 

 the infected organism on the other, that determines the issue 

 in the struggle between the two opponents. A bacterium 

 surcharged with its antibody, will fix a quantity of antibody 

 of the organism (which is antigenic for itself) all the greater 

 if its degree of immunity-anaphylaxis is higher. It will be 



