600 IMMUNITY 



ingly, when the second injection is made, the rapid combination 

 of these molecules with the cells results in the disturbances 

 described. This view has, however, received little support, and 

 there are various facts against it, especially in relation to the 

 transference of anaphylaxis. 



It is still an open question as to what extent the phenomena 

 of anaphylaxis just described are of the same nature as the 

 supersensitiveness or allergy manifested by patients suffering from 

 disease to the products of the corresponding organism, e.g., to 

 tuberculin, mallein, etc. (pp. 296, 324) : though in all probability 

 they are at least similar in essence. It was held for some time as 

 a distinction that this supersensitiveness in infections to bacterial 

 products could not be transferred to another animal, but recent 

 observations show that in certain circumstances this is possible 

 in the case of tuberculin. According to some observers, the 

 phenomena of supersensitiveness of tubercular patients to tuber- 

 culin is due to the combination of the injected antigen with 

 molecules of anti-substance resident in the tissue cells, the so- 

 called "sessile receptors"; but, according to Friedberger, the 

 facts can be equally well explained by the combination, which 

 occurs either locally or generally, of the antigen with anti-sub- 

 stance in the serum, which combination when acted upon by 

 complement gives rise to the poisonous substance. At present 

 it is not possible to make a definite statement on the subject. 

 There is no doubt that the supersensitive condition must play an 

 important part in the clinical manifestations of many diseases. 

 For example, the sensitiveness of tubercular patients to tuberculin 

 shows that the symptoms in this disease are evidently produced 

 by the absorption from the tubercular foci of a smaller amount 

 of toxin than would be necessary to produce effects in a normal 

 individual. And the sensitiveness of the conjunctiva in typhoid 

 fever to the products of the bacillus suggests that in this disease 

 also supersensitiveness plays an important part. It is also 

 possible that the repeated absorption of proteins, harmless in 

 single doses, may lead to toxic symptoms, and in a similar way 

 may possibly be explained the relative non-toxicity of the 

 products of certain bacteria when tested in the usual manner. 

 There are also grounds for believing that certain idiosyncrasies 

 to articles of diet, e.g., shell-fish, strawberries, and even cows' 

 milk in the case of some children, are really anaphylactic in 

 nature. The phenomena of hay fever probably belong to the 

 same class, being the result of acquired anaphylaxis to a vegetable 

 protein, and some evidence has been brought forward that 

 puerperal eclampsia is produced by the absorption of proteins 



