THEORIES OF ANAPHYLAXIS. 391 



complementoid, etc., the formation of toxin was 

 prevented. Friedberger was able in a similar way 

 to produce substances which caused symptoms of 

 anaphylaxis, by treating precipitinogens from 

 various sources with precipitins in the presence 

 of complement. He therefore supposes that this 

 toxic substance, which he calls anaphylatoxin, is 

 derived from the precipitate caused by precipitin 

 acting on precipitinogen, and that it is the specific 

 cause of intoxication in anaphylaxis. As there 

 exists a difference of opinion as to the identity of 

 anaphylactin, so there exist various theories as to 

 the formation of anaphylatoxin. 



Eichet supposed that anaphylactic antibody and Theoretical 

 antigen combined to form the poisonous substance tions! dera ~ 

 which he called "apotoxin." Wolff-Eisner, Weich- 

 hardt, Friedemann and others consider anaphyl- 

 actin to be of the nature of a lytic amboceptor, 

 and that, by the action of complement through 

 this amboceptor, a splitting of anaphylactogen 

 into toxic substances takes place. Vaughan and 

 Wheeler, with others, consider that in sensitiza- 

 tion we have to do with the development of spe- 

 cific proteolytic ferments which split the antigen 

 into toxic groups similar in nature to their toxic 

 products obtained by hydrolysis with alcohol and 

 sodium hydrate. This view is supported by the 

 fact that Biedl and Kraus have produced symp- 

 toms of anaphylaxis by injection of split products 

 of protein (Witte's peptone) in dogs. The pro- 

 duction of increased protein splitting power of the 

 serum after injection of foreign proteins as 

 demonstrated by Abderhalden also supports the 

 enzyme theory. According to these views, various 



