[359] CHAPTER XII 



ARTIFICIAL IMMUNITY AGAINST TOXINS 



Adaptation to poisons. Artificial immunity against bacterial and vegetable toxins 

 and against snake venom. Principal methods of immunisation. Immunisation 

 by toxins and toxoids. Inoculation against diphtheria toxin. Phenomena 

 produced in the course of vaccination against toxins. Rise of temperature. 

 Leucocytosis. Development of antitoxic power. Properties of antitoxins. 

 Mode of action of antitoxins. Action of antitoxins in vitro. Their action in 

 the organism. Influence of living elements on the combination of antitoxin 

 with toxin. Antitoxic action of non-specific serums, of normal serums and of 

 broth. Immunity against toxins is not in direct ratio to the amount of anti- 

 toxins in the body fluids. Hypersensitiveness of an animal treated with toxin. 

 Diminution of the susceptibility of the organism immunised against toxins. 



Hypotheses as to the nature and origin of antitoxins. Hypothesis of the transforma- 

 tion of toxins into antitoxins. Hypothesis of receptors detached from cells as 

 the source of antitoxins. Hypothesis of the nervous origin of tetanus antitoxin. 

 Fixation of tetanus toxin by the substance of the nerve centres. The relations 

 between saponin and cholesterin. Anti-arsenic serum. Part played by phago- 

 cytes in the struggle of the animal against poisons. Probable part played by 

 phagocytes in the production of antitoxins. 



ALTHOUGH scientific men succeeded only a little more than ten 

 years ago in vaccinating against poisons by artificial methods, savage 

 races and ancient peoples at a very remote period undoubtedly pos- 

 sessed methods of counteracting the effects of certain venomous 

 substances. The frequent observation of cases in which doses of 

 poisons, insufficient to cause death, brought about a more or less 

 durable resistant condition, must result in the elaboration of artificial 

 means of preventing the intoxications. 



Von Behring 1 points out that analogous facts must have been 

 known to the physicians of ancient times ; and it is in such know- 

 ledge that we must look for the source of the dogma put forward 

 by Hippocrates, that the factor which produces a disease is also 

 capable of curing it. 



1 " Allgemeine Therapie der Infectionskrankheiten," Berlin u. Wien, 1899, S. 982. 



