SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF SERUM THEORY 327 



object of the physician or veterinarian who is called to treat the 

 case is to offer such aid as he may be capable of giving to assist the 

 cells in their struggle against the germ invaders. In some cases 

 this consists in the administration of such agents as will hinder the 

 germs in their fight and make victory for the cells the more certain. 

 In other cases the medicines administered are more on the order of 

 whips to stimulate the cells of the body to put up a more master- 

 ful fight. 



As just stated, the fighting weapon of the germ is the poisonous 

 body known as the toxin. These toxins are provided with arm- 

 like processes by which they are able to grapple with the cell, and 

 these processes are known as toxophores. The toxophore is so 

 arranged and organized that it is capable of grasping hold of the 

 receptor of the cell and preventing the cell from obtaining the very 

 much needed nourishment that it requires during its battle with 

 the poisonous toxin. This, then, is the method of attack of germs 

 in disease. They form large numbers of toxins which travel out 

 into the blood-stream of the body and attack the normal tissue-cells 

 in all parts of the body by means of their grasping tentacles or 

 toxophores. 



As in practically all other instances, nature has provided for a 

 means of escape in this dire necessity of the cell. When a receptor 

 has been grasped in the fatal embrace of one of these toxophores, 

 and the cell is no longer able to secure the much-needed nourish- 

 ment from the blood-stream to wage its battle against the disease, 

 it at once sets about to produce a new receptor. In doing this the 

 cell seeks to provide for future emergencies, and so, instead of pro- 

 ducing one receptor to replace the one that has been disabled by 

 the attack of the toxophore, it reproduces a large number of them. 



In the course of the warfare between body cell and germ toxin 

 the cells discover the fact that the toxins are capable of producing 

 only the one toxophore, and that if this toxophore be grasped by a 

 cell receptor the toxin is unable to make any further attack. This 

 suggests to the cell the advisability of liberating in the blood-stream 

 a large number of receptors for the purpose of engaging and 

 disabling the toxins before they are able to attach themselves to a 

 body cell. As a result of this plan, the large number of receptors 

 that were formed to replace the one disabled by the attack of the 



