670 FRANK C. MANN 



venson, Biacn and Weltmann, Bullock and Rohdenburg) , or some constitu- 

 ents of the blood which seem to he associated with immunity are involved 

 (Karsner, Amiral and Bock, Kolmer and Pearce). Some part in the pro- 

 duction of anaphylaxis has been attributed to the spleen (Mautner) ; San- 

 ford and I, however, have been unable to note any difference between the 

 anaphylactic phenomenon due to horse-serum in normal guinea pigs and in 

 guinea pigs from which the spleen had been removed at different periods 

 before the production of the anaphylactic phenomenon. At any event final 

 evidence of the part the spleen may play in infection, immunity, and ana- 

 phylaxis can be explained on the basis of a purely mechanical action of the 

 gland, and its being the largest reservoir of lymphocytes in the body. 



Chemistry of the Spleen. The chemistry of the spleen which has 

 been reviewed by Corper and others has been shown to be rather complex. 

 It is supposed to have some relation to the fatty acids (King), but this 

 has been denied (Dubin and Pearce). Also a change in the phosphorus 

 in the corpuscles has been noted after splenectomy (Donati). 



Effect of Extracts of the Spleen. Studies on the various extracts of 

 the spleen have on the whole given negative results. Fresh or raw splenic 

 tissue has been fed without producing any noteworthy effects. One of the 

 positive results obtained is the marked increase in the tonus and pendulum 

 movements of the isolated intestine (Ott and Scott, Grube, Berlin). 



The Spleen and Pathologic Conditions As was previously stated^ 

 some of the pathologic conditions of the spleen are closely associated with 

 pathologic conditions in other organs. This gives a pathologic basis for 

 the fact that some clinical findings suggest an interrelationship between 

 the spleen and other organs. Clinical evidence is lacking, however, to 

 justify the conclusion that the spleen is an endocrin organ (Giffin). 



Conclusions 



No statement concerning the function of the spleen has gone uncon- 

 tradicted. This should not be interpreted to mean that false or incorrect 

 data have been obtained, or that too extravagant conclusions have been 

 drawn, but that the function of the spleen is more or less passive in nature 

 and vicarious in its action. Our data emphasize this point. For instance, 

 the change in the blood following splenectomy seems to be the most con- 

 stant result obtained. Yet in some of the dogs in our series subjected to 

 splenectomy, no anemia occurred ; in others there was no increase in the 

 resistance of the red cells and in still others a leukocytosis other than that 

 which could be definitely attributable to the operative procedure itself 

 did not occur. 



It might be expected that if a reaction was produced by splenectomy 

 in any tissue, it would be produced in the accessory splenic tissue, often 



