Resorption of the formed elements 105 



treated by the blood and which furnished the serum. In order to 

 obtain this result, however, they had to inject, not unaltered blood but 

 blood mixed with water. The red corpuscles of the unaltered blood 

 pass readily into the circulation of the animal of the same species, 

 without being attacked by the phagocytes. Now, we know from the 

 experiments of Bordet that the stromas of the red corpuscles suffice 

 for the production of the fixative, whilst the haemoglobin does not 

 incite to the development of this ferment by the organism. As the 

 stromas, injected with a mixture of blood and water, must be devoured 

 by the macrophages, we can readily understand that these phagocytes 

 may serve for the elaboration of the fixative. 



The resorption of the red corpuscles and that of spermatozoa which [112] 

 we have presented as examples, may serve as types for the resorption 

 phenomena of formed elements in general. When other species of 

 cells are introduced into the organism, the resulting process always 

 reveals the same character : inflammatory reaction with preponderant 

 intervention of the macrophages ; intraphagocytic digestion of the 

 introduced elements ; excessive production and excretion of the 

 fixatives. Whilst the macrocytase is always the same in the same 

 species of animal, the fixatives are different and specific. In addition 

 to the haemofixatives and spermofixatives already described, we may 

 obtain, as the result of the injection of the corresponding cells, leuco- 

 fixatives, nephrofixatives, hepatofixatives, trichofixatives, etc. It 

 does not enter into our programme to treat the subject here 1 . W^e 

 wish simply to insist on those aspects of the resorption of cells 

 which are closely connected with the problem of Immunity. In the 

 next chapter we must, however, recur to certain features of the 

 phenomena of resorption. 



1 We have given a sketch of the actual state of this question of cell poisons or 

 cytotoxins in the Revue generate des sciences pares et appliquees, 1901, p. 1. 



