REVIEW OF BESREDKA'S STUDY. 287 



cided not by pure speculation but by experimental means. The 

 centrifugal method allows us to demonstrate antiamboceptor and 

 anticomplement directly, as such, entirely independent of all theo- 

 retical speculations. In the case here described, we have shown 

 that an anticomplement action is present almost exclusively, com- 

 pared with which the slight antiamboceptor action is of no account. 1 



As a result of our own results we must maintain, first, that the 

 major part of the anti action of the human serum described by Bes- 

 redka is due to the anticomplement; second, that Besredka's ex- 

 perimental method allows no conclusions whatever regarding an 

 anti-immune body; and third, that the part played by the individual 

 factors in this antihsemolytic action can only be decided by the 

 method employed by us. 



After having, then, as a result of the experiments with human 

 blood, erroneously ascribed the antihsemolytic action to an antiam- 

 boceptor, Besredka continues his study by investigating whether this 

 supposed antiamboceptor is specific, i.e., only for human blood and 

 serum dissolving human blood. In this sense he arrives at a posi- 

 tive conclusion. His generalization is based on the following obser- 

 vation: He finds that human serum does not protect sheep blood 

 against the hsemolytic serum of a goat immunized with sheep blood, 

 the haBmolytic serum being reactivated with guinea-pig serum. We 

 have made the same observation and studied just this behavior by 

 means of a human ascitic fluid. The case in question, however, 

 constitutes a special exception, due to a partial anticomplement, 

 and it is, therefore, peculiarly unsuited as the basis for a generaliza- 

 tion. Our experiments show that on investigating other cases, 

 human serum is found to exert a considerable protection against 

 normal hsemolysins and those produced by immunization which dis- 

 solve other species of blood ox blood in our case. Here also, how- 

 ever, this protection is due to anticomplements and not to anti- 

 amboceptors, at least so far as can be determined by an exact analysis. 



1 The destruction and weakening of the antihsemolysin which Besredka 

 shows occurs with longer heating to 65-67 C. is, of course, in no way char- 

 acteristic for the nature and mode of action of the antibody. We showed 

 that this temperature injures both antiamboceptor and anticomplement. Be- 

 sides, the behavior toward narrowly limited thermal influences does not possess 

 the significance of a group reaction. This is well shown by the occurrence of 

 a thermostable complement (Ehrlich and Morgenroth, page 11) and ther- 

 molabile amboceptors (Sachs, see page 181). 



