98 Immunity 



SYNOPSIS OF THE EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF 

 IMMUNITY. 



The first comparative studies were made by Ehrlich,* in 

 his work upon the vegetable alkaloids ricin, abrin, and 

 robin. Kosself investigated the reactions produced with 

 toxic eels' blood and found that immunity could be estab- 

 lished against their hemolytic action. Phisalix and Ber- 

 trandf showed that immunity could also be produced in 

 guinea-pigs against the action of viper venom. 



The investigations upon other active bodies were soon 

 begun. In 1893 Hildebrand studied emulsin and found 

 that it produced a definite reaction with the formation, in 

 animals injected, of an anti-emulsm. v. Diingern || studied 

 proteolytic enzymes of various bacteria, and showed that 

 when gelatin-dissolving enzymes were repeatedly injected 

 into animals, definite reactions took place, and in the serum 

 a body appeared that inhibited the action of the ferment in 

 a test-tube. Gheorghiewski** immunized animals to cul- 

 tures of Bacillus pyocyaneus, and found that the reaction 

 provoked caused the appearance in the serum of some body 

 that prevented the formation of the blue pigment so char- 

 acteristic of the organism. Morgenrothft applied the same 

 principle to rennet, finding that it produced definite reactions, 

 with the formation of an anti-body inhibiting the coagula- 

 tion of milk. Bordet and Gengoujj: found that the fibrin 

 ferment of the blood of one animal was active in the body 

 of another animal, producing an inhibiting substance by 

 which the coagulation of the blood of the first animal 

 could be delayed. 



The studies of Kraus showed a new fact, that when 

 filtered cultures of the cholera spirillum were introduced 

 into animals, the serum of these animals, added to the filtered 

 culture in a test-tube, caused the appearance of a delicate 

 flocculent precipitate. 



* " Deutsche med. Woch.," 1891, Nos. 32 and 44. 



t " Berliner klin. Wochenschrift," 1898. 



J Atti d XI Congr. med. internaz. Roma, 1894, n, 200-202. 



" Virchow's Archives," Bd. cxxxi. 



|| "Miinchener med. Woch.," Aug. 15, 1898. 

 **" Ann. de 1'Inst. Pasteur," 1899. 

 tt "Centralbl. f. Bakt.," etc., 1899, xxvi, p. 349 

 ft " Ann. de 1'Inst. Past.," 1903, xvii, p. 822. 

 SS " Wien. klin. Woch.," 1897. 



