l8o IMMUNE SERA 



in the literature, and while this undoubtedly does 

 not represent all the cases that have occurred, the 

 total number is insignificant when compared to the 

 enormous number of such injections already made. 

 In New York City, in over 50,000 persons injected, 

 but two deaths attributed to the serum injection 

 have occurred. A number of fatal cases have been 

 reported in asthmatic individuals and this may be 

 borne in mind when about to make serum injections. 

 It is also of interest to know that Banzhaf and 

 Famulener have shown that chloral in large doses 

 will prevent the anaphylactic reaction in sensitized 

 guinea pigs. Such animals after the second injec- 

 tion are immune to further injections. 



Relation of Anaphylaxis to Immunity. We have 

 already discussed the relation of anaphylaxis to 

 infection and may now take up briefly its relation 

 to immunity. We know that the subcutaneous, 

 intraperitoneal, or intravenous introduction of alien 

 proteid is followed by the formation of antibodies; 

 at the same time it can readily be shown that no 

 antibodies develop after the oral introduction of 

 milk, eggs, or even of raw meat. In other words, 

 there is a marked contrast in the behavior of the 

 body between the enteral and the parenteral intro- 

 duction of proteid. In the former the proteid is 

 acted on by the gastric and intestinal juices (pepsin, 

 trypsin, and enterokinase) . These so break down 

 the proteid molecule that it loses its species identity. 



