ANAPHYLAXIS 

 AND ANTI-ANAPHYLAXIS 



CHAPTER jl 

 INTRODUCTION 



General Characters of the Phenomena of 

 Anaphylaxis. 



What is anaphylaxis ? Had this question been put 

 to the most highly qjialified bacteriologists only ten 

 years ago, in nine cases out of ten no reply would 

 have been forthcoming. At that time the few 

 persons who had heard of Richet's experiments on 

 acti no-conges tin were decidedly of the opinion that it 

 was a matter of pure physiology which would scarcely 

 interest the bacteriologist and still less the clinician. 



Since then this subject has made such strides that 

 to-day if one does not wish to pass for a clinician of 

 the " old school " a knowledge, at least upon its 

 broad lines, of all that has to do with anaphylaxis is 

 indispensable, and especially of the means that should 

 be taken to avoid it. Just as often happens in 

 similar cases, we go from one extreme to the other. 

 To-day we see anaphylaxis in everything, and should 

 a biological phenomenon that is a little out of the 

 ordinary type make its appearance, we immediately 

 regard it as related to anaphylaxis. 



The echo of this has reached the ears of persons 

 with no claim to be regarded as professional. Do we 

 not hear of mothers of families bringing the worst 



