Resorption of the formed elements 95 



solution of the red blood corpuscles ; this is not astonishing in view of 

 the fact that it is impossible to isolate the haemolysing substances in 

 a pure state. 



It may, however, be admitted that the action of alexine (comple- 

 ment) comes under the category of phenomena that are produced by 

 soluble ferments. Buchner 1 maintains that there is an analogy be- 

 tween this substance and the diastases (or enzymes) ; Bordet 2 , from 

 the appearance of his first publications on haemolysis, has expressed 

 himself in favour of this view. Ehrlich and Morgenroth 3 , in their 

 two first memoirs, very distinctly put forward the same idea. "We 

 shall not deceive ourselves" they say "if we attribute to the 

 addiment (syn. complement, or alexine) the character of a digestive 

 ferment." In one of their last memoirs 4 they no longer express them- 

 selves in so decided a fashion. Nevertheless we are still quite justified 

 in maintaining this proposition. The substance which dissolves the 

 red blood corpuscles of Mammals or a portion only of those of Birds, 

 undoubtedly presents very great analogies to the digestive ferments. 

 As has been mentioned repeatedly, it is very sensitive to the action 

 of heat and is completely destroyed by heating for one hour at 55 C. 

 In this respect it closely resembles the macrocytase of macrophagic 

 organs which also dissolves red corpuscles. As it is the macrophages 

 which ingest and digest the red blood corpuscles in the organism, it 

 is evident that alexine is nothing but the macrocytase which has 

 escaped from the phagocytes during the preparation of the serums. 



We know that the leucocytes contain quite a series of soluble 

 ferments of which some are set at liberty after the blood has been 

 drawn from the vessels. It is thus that plasmase, or fibrin-ferment, 

 is set free from the leucocytes to combine with fibrinogen to produce [102] 

 the clot. This is not the only soluble ferment of leucocytic origin. 

 It has been known for some time that in addition to this coagulating 

 ferment the leucocytes contain ferments which are especially digestive 

 or decoagulating. Thus Rossbach 5 has demonstrated the presence of 

 amylase in the leucocytes of different organs, especially the tonsils. 

 ArthiiS'has confirmed this discovery and Zabolotny 6 has completed it 

 by his ^observations on the phenomena which appear in the peritoneal 



1 Miinchen. med. Wchnschr., 1900, S. 1193. 



2 Ann. de VInst. Pasteur, Paris, 1898, t. xn, p. 688 ; 1899, t. xm, p. 273. 



3 Berl klin. Wchnschr., 1899, SS. 6 and 481. 



4 Berl klin. Wchnschr., 1900, 8. 682. 



6 Deutsche med. Wchnschr., Leipzig, 1890, S. 389. 



6 Arch, russes d.palh., etc., St.-Petersb., 1900, t. iv, p. 402. 



