XXV. THE ILEMOLYTIC PROPERTIES OF ORGAN 



EXTRACTS. 1 



By Dr. S. KORSCHUN, of Charkow, and Dr. J. MORGENROTH, Member of the 



Institute. 



The first observations concerning the haemolytic properties of 

 organ extracts were published, so far as we are aware, by Metchni- 

 koff. 2 



Proceeding from his observation that in the peritoneum of the 

 guinea-pig goose blood-cells are taken up by certain phagocytes, 

 the macropJiages, and digested intracellularly, Metchnikoff sought to 

 demonstrate digestive actions in vitro in extracts of such organs 

 which are rich in macrophages. He regarded the hamolytic function 

 as an indicator of this digestive action. He found that extracts of 

 certain organs of guinea-pig (but not guinea-pig serum) exerted a 

 ha?molytic action on goose blood; the lymphoid portion of the omen- 

 turn showed this action quite regularly, the mesenteric glands fre- 

 quently, and in a limited number of cases the spleen. Of the other 

 organs the pancreas showed a marked, and the salivary glands a 

 weak haBmolytic action; the bone marrow, liver, kidney, brain and 

 spinal cord, ovaries, testicles, and adrenals were inert. 



Metchnikoff found the haemolytic substance to be a soluble ferment 

 contained in the macrophages; he termed it "macrocytase" to dis- 

 tinguish it from the bactericidal ferment derived from microphages, 

 which he calls "microcytase." It shows itself to be a "cytase" 3 



1 Reprint from the Berlin, klin. Wochenschr. 1902, No. 37. 



2 Metchnikoff, Annal. de PInstit. Pasteur, Oct. 1899; see further references 

 in Metchnikoff, I'lmmunite", Paris, 1901. 



3 Metchnikoff and his pupils use the term "cytase" for our complements 

 as well as for the complex cytotoxins (hsemolysins, bacteriolysins, etc.) of 

 normal sera. It is to be regretted that although in numerous instances these 

 have been shown to consist of amboceptor and complement this fact has not 

 been sufficiently regarded by this school (see especially the recent studies by 

 Sachs, pages 181 et seq., and Morgenroth and Sachs, page 233). 



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