126 ANAPHYLAXIS AND ANTI-ANAPHYLAXIS 



Massini has been unable to detect any sensitisation 

 of the guinea-pig's intestine with tuberculin. 



The actual mechanism of the production of ana- 

 phylaxis still eludes the grasp of the bacteriologist. 

 In the present work Besredka has shewn how physical 

 conditions such as heat, dilution, precipitation, etc., 

 affect the protein used as antigen. It was originally 

 suggested by Wells^ that nothing less than the intact 

 protein molecule will produce anaphylaxis, and a 

 good deal of recent research has centred round this 

 point. Zunz^ claims to have obtained typical reac- 

 tions with proteoses, and Abderhalden with a syn- 

 thetic polypeptid.^ 



Pick and Yamanouchi^ and Bogomoletz^ also 

 believe that lipoids will serve the same purpose, 

 while Thiele and Embleton^ obtain contrary results. 

 Gideon Wells' has noted antigenic differences in this 

 connexion between a and /8 nucleoproteins. Finally, 

 Dale and Hartley® have shewn that every sensitisa- 

 tion with a whole serum is in reality a complex multi- 

 sensitisation, and that each of the three proteins 

 separated from horse serum, for example — euglobulin, 

 pseudo-globulin, and albumen — can act as anaphy- 

 lactic antigens. They further suggest that the 

 successive crops of serum rash obtained in certain 

 patients as the result of only one injection may 

 ** represent the successive appearances at different 

 intervals of sensitiveness to the different serum 

 proteins." The balance of opinion appears to be 

 in favour of the view that only proteins are con- 



1 Journ. Infect. Diseases, xii., p. 341, 1913. 



2 Zeitschr. f. Immunitdtsf., I. Teil Orig., xvi., p. 580, 1913. 



3 Zeitschr. Physiol. Chem., Ixxxi., p. 315, 1912. 



* Zeitschr. f. Immunitdtsf., I. Teil Orig., 1., p. 676, 1909. 

 6 Ibid., I. Teil Orig., v., p. 121, and vi., 1910. 



8 Ibid., I. Teil Orig., vi., p. 160, 1913. 

 ' fourn. Biol. Chem., xxviii., p. 11, 1916, 



• Biochem. Journ., x., p. 408, 1916. 



