110 ANAPHYLAXIS AND ANTI-ANAPHYLAXIS 



lysin for the organism to recover its original albumino- 

 lytic titre. 



Nicolle believes that the nerve-cell does not play 

 any part in the production of hypersensitiveness, 

 and that it only suffers passively the effects of the 

 real poison liberated by the albuminolysin. 



According to Vaughan and Wheeler,^ the first 

 injection of the albuminoid substance is followed by 

 a sort of excitement or stimulation of certain cells ^ 

 then by the appearance of a ferment specific for the 

 substance injected. This ferment, which is found in 

 the interior of the cells in the form of zymogen, reacts 

 at the time of the second injection. It follows that 

 the albuminoid substance, injected for the second 

 time, becomes rapidly digested. The effect of this 

 is the setting free of a toxic group, and the appearance 

 of the usual anaphylactic phenomena. 



To shew the foundation for this theory, Vaughan,^ 

 with his collaborators (Vaughan Jun. and Wright), 

 tries to extract from the organs of sensitised guinea- 

 pigs the ferment in question. For this purpose the 

 organs, finely macerated, are emulsified in physio- 

 logical saline solution, and the supernatant fluid 

 which should contain the ferment is brought in con- 

 tact with egg-albumen. 



When this contact is of short duration (thirty 

 minutes) the product thus obtained is not toxic. 

 But when the contact is prolonged, and especially 

 when the organs are removed at the moment when 

 the animal is clearly sensitised, a product is obtained 

 which, injected into the veins of a fresh guinea-pig, 

 kills it very rapidly, with all the classical symptoms 

 of anaphylaxis. 



The ferment in question, which exerts a proteolytic 

 action on the egg - albumen, passes through the 



1 Journ. Infect. Dis., vi., p. 476, 1907. 



2 Zeitschr. f. Immunitdtsf., I. Orig., xi., p. 673, 1911. 



