66 ANAPHYLAXIS AND ANTI-ANAPHYLAXIS 



mishaps are rare, and we have indicated the principal 

 reason. But, though this was the case a few years 

 ago, it is not so since the introduction of intraspinal 

 and intravenous injections. Anaphylactic mishaps 

 are likely to multiply, considering the increasing 

 number of individuals that have now been injected 

 with serum at some time in their lives. It is in the 

 course of cerebro-spinal meningitis that the injection 

 of serum exhibits the most serious dangers. We 

 endeavoured to study this question first from the 

 experimental point of view. 



In collaboration with Mile. Lussofsky, we have 

 been able to shew^ that the classical picture of ana- 

 phylaxis in guinea-pigs can be reproduced by means 

 of intraspinal injections. Guinea-pigs sensitised 

 fifteen days previously with horse serum are inocu- 

 lated with injections of o-o66-o-5 c.c. in the inter- 

 vertebral space just above the sacrum. This intra- 

 thecal injection often causes shock immediately in 

 the guinea-pig, but this should not be confounded 

 with true anaphylactic shock. In most cases the 

 animal recovers quickly, and it is only after an 

 interval of five minutes that true anaphylactic 

 symptoms appear. 



As soon as we had established the possibility of 

 producing the anaphjdactic syndrome by the intra- 

 thecal route, we applied ourselves to the task of 

 looking for the means of preventing it — that is to 

 say, producing a condition of anti-anaphylaxis. We 

 soon became convinced that the method of vaccina- 

 tion by small doses, which had been already con- 

 templated, in these cases likewise, ensured an absolute 

 immunity to the animal. 



Without entering into the details of these experi- 

 ments, it will be sufficient to remark that whatever 

 be the route chosen for vaccination, be it subcutane- 

 1 Comptes rend. Soc. de Biol., Ixviii., p. 1099, 1910. 



