IMMUNITY AND AXAPHYLAXIS 215 



appearing if the second injection is made intraperitoneally, 

 cardially, or cerebrally, than if given subcutaneously. 

 Sensitized animals which recover from the second injec- 

 tion are thereafter immune (Antianaphylaxis). This im- 

 munity may also be purchased by the injection of large 

 quantities of the sensitizing serum towards the middle or 

 end of the incubation period, but the duration of this 

 immunity is believed by Otto to be short. 



In a number of cases where a second injection is 

 given after an interval, no immediate reaction (w r ithin 

 24 hours) follows, but an "Accelerated Reaction," that 

 is, the local and general symptoms of serum disease are 

 noted earlier than in the previous attack, or than is the 

 average where no record exists. 



The simplest explanation of the phenomena of anaphy- 

 laxis is that of Wolff-Eisner, who holds that all proteid 

 substances contain a toxic part, which does not produce 

 an antibody when injected into animals. On the first 

 injection a lysin is formed which breaks up the proteid, 

 liberating the toxic part. A second injection results in 

 the rapid liberation of the toxic part by the action of the 

 already-present lysin, and hence the toxaemia. The 

 profound affection of the nervous system, the general 

 vaso-dilatation, and the more rapid action on intracranial 

 injection, all suggest some substance which acts as a toxin 

 on the nerve tissues. In this connection the use of serum 

 for the cure of asthma is interesting, because it could be 

 explained (if the patient survive) as diminished nerve- 

 irritability to proteid. 



II. ANAPHYLAXIS TO WHITE-OF-EGG. 



Besredka and Bronfenbrenner in their most recent 

 memoire (Ann. de I'lmtitut Pasteur, Mai, 1911), have 

 studied very carefully the anaphylaxis produced by the 

 injection subcutaneously of white-of-egg, both raw and 

 heated to 100 C. They produced active anaphylaxis by 

 the injection of 0-5 c.c. of white-of-egg, diluted with an equal 

 quantity of normal saline solution. The state of 

 anaphylaxis appeared in 16 to 20 days ; with a smaller 

 dose ( T i^ c.c.), it appeared in 12 days. The injection 

 of white-of-egg heated to 100 C. into other guinea-pigs, 



