532 COLLECTED STUDIES IN IMMUNITY 



had apparently succeeded in immunizing against solanin. Since 

 then, however, the researches of Bashford l and of Besredka 9 have 

 shown that it is impossible to produce antibodies against either 

 solanin or saponin. Pohl himself no longer maintains the existence 

 of a specific antisolanin. Of the various poisons, which seemed 

 to promise the best for successful immunization, morphine should 

 be mentioned first. Recently Hirschlaff 3 claimed actually to have 

 produced an antimorphine serum. Morgenroth, 4 however, was able 

 to show that the results obtained by Hirschlaff were merely apparent, 

 not real, and that they depended on the fact that the doses of poi- 

 son employed by Hirschlaff were not surely fatal, especially owing 

 to the increased resistance of the animal following the serum 

 injection. Hence the statement still holds true that all poisons 

 chemically well defined do not possess the property of producing 

 antitoxins. 



So far as other differences between ordinary poisons and toxins 

 are concerned, I may refer particularly to my detailed articles in 

 von Leydens Festschrift 5 and to the excellent monograph by Over- 

 ton. 6 From these it will be seen that the action of the chemically 

 defined poisons, alkaloids, glucosides, etc., on parenchyma is the 

 result of a solid solution or of a loose salt formation. In accordance 

 with the loose character of the combination, the action of these 

 poisons is a transitory one. The firm union and prolonged action 

 peculiar to the toxins is entirely absent. Besides this the period 

 of incubation is wanting in most ordinary poisons, although there 

 are a few exceptions like arsenic, phosphorus, tartrate of tin and 

 sodium, and vinylamin. In the toxins, on the other hand, a period 

 of incubation is the rule. 



Entirely in accordance with the views of Emil Fischer concern- 

 ing ferments, I have ascribed the specific combining processes of 

 toxins to certain stereochemical groups of atoms (haptophore groups). 

 These unite only with such other atomic groups which fit to them 

 as does a key to a lock. The ordinary chemical groups of organic 

 chemistry possess affinities for a large number of other groups. Thus 



1 Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamics, Vols. 8 and 9. 



2 See Metchnikoff, L'Immunite, Paris, 1901. 



3 Berliner klin. Wochenschrift 1902. 



4 Ibid., 1903, No. 21. 



6 Von Leydens Festschrift. August Hirschwald, Berlin, 1902. 

 8 Studien iaber die Narkose, Jena 1901. 



