52 Biological, Chemical and Physical Characteristics of Milk. 



As proved by Kraus bacteriolytic immune bodies also pass into 

 the milk, in artificially immunized animals, and into the body of the 

 suckling consuming the milk, provided the mother possesses active 

 immunity (de Blasi). 



Of other immune bodies which are present in the blood and 

 have been demonstrated also in the milk of the same animal, should 

 be mentioned the opsonins (Wright), which influence the bacterins 

 in such a way that they may be readily assimilated by the phago- 

 cytes (Turton and Appleton, Eisler and Sohma). 



Other substances which induce the so-called hypersensitive- 

 ness (anaphylaxis), have also been demonstrated (Otto). At 

 least it has been proven in the study of hypersensitiveness, that 

 the off-spring of hypersensitized guinea pigs possess an increased 

 sensitiveness for homologous antigens, and this may not only be 

 the result of the intra-uterine transmission of the anaphylaxis 

 from the mother to the young, but also of the transmission of the 

 immune bodies, through the milk of the mother. 



To the subject of immune substances belong possibly the ob- 

 servations made by Tage, Duhat and Dobrowits, during the treat- 

 ment of nursing syphilitic mothers with salvarsan which shows 

 its effect upon the untreated syphilitic children. Syphilitic chil- 

 dren thrive splendidly after the treatment of their mother. It 

 was impossible to demonstrate arsenic in the milk, either in or- 

 ganic or non-organic combination. Ehrlich explains the action 

 by the fact that a rapid breaking down of the syphilitic spiro- 

 chaetes in the mother is produced through the action of the new 

 syphilitic remedy, and thereby an elimination of the endo-toxins 

 is induced. The antitoxins which develop in the mothers pass into 

 the milk, and cause a passive immunization of the child, through 

 the gastro-intestinal tract ; Jesionek, on the other hand claims the 

 passage of the arsenic from the blood of the treated mother to the 

 milk, and explains thereby the remarkable results in untreated 

 children which are nursed by the treated mothers. 



Very little is known with certainty relative to the quantita- 

 tive relation which exists between the immune bodies appearing 

 in the circluating blood, and those in the milk. The views expressed 

 are too widely divergent. It is known of the anti-toxins in which 

 this relation has been mostly studied, that of 15 to 30 parts of the 

 anti-bodies which are demonstrable in the blood a certain amount 

 appears in the milk. 



These relations are still somewhat vague, since the passing 

 of the anti-bodies which are bound to the albumins and globulins 

 depends on the quantitative relation of these proteids in the milk, 

 and the experimental results therefore must vary in accordance 

 with the species of animal used, the stage of lactation of the 

 respective individual, diseases of the udder, etc. 



In infections of the udder, for instance with colon bacilli, anti- 



