4 IMMUNE SERA 



be explained on the assumption of but a single poison. 

 He speaks of it as anaphylatoxin, and regards it as 

 a Cleavage product of proteid of whatever origin 

 introduced parenterally. Just as in enteral digestion 

 uniform cleavage products are formed from most 

 diverse proteids, so he believes that in the parenteral 

 proteid decomposition leading to the formation 

 of anaphylatoxin, a uniform poison is produced. 

 Whether or not in addition to the anaphylatoxin 

 there are other specific poisons for the various non- 

 toxic infectious diseases is entirely immaterial; 

 their existence has not been proved and the assump- 

 tion of their existence is unnecessary. In consider- 

 ing the diversity of the clinical symptoms of various 

 infectious diseases, it must be remembered that 

 the various species of bacteria differ in their virulence 

 and in their rate of multiplication, and the invaded 

 organisms also differ considerably in their anti- 

 body production. All these factors serve to modify 

 the clinical picture. According to Friedberger the 

 assumption of a common " anaphylatoxin " is only 

 apparently in contradiction to the well-known law 

 of specificity of the infectious diseases. In the 

 infectious diseases it is not the poison which is spe- 

 cific, but only the mode of its production. The 

 production of anaphylatoxin requires the action of 

 antibodies; the mere solution or disintegration of 

 bacteria by other means does not suffice. In other 

 words, a definite cleavage of the proteid molecule 



