CHAPTER II 

 THE NONSPECIFIC AGENTS 



In the practice of nonspecific therapy a large number of therapeutic 

 agents have been used, varying from the ancient forms of counter- 

 irritation to our present methods of heterobacteriotherapy, of protein 

 therapy and of the intravenous injection of colloidal metals or other 

 colloidal substances. In discussing these various agents that we have 

 at our disposal to induce the "plasmaactivation" or the "ergotropie" 

 as one may choose to term the reaction, it will be of some interest 

 to include a number because of their historic association or because 

 of their theoretic rather than their practical therapeutic value. Their 

 inclusion is therefore not to be regarded as an endorsement of their 

 usefulness in therapeusis nor as an advocacy for their employment 

 in practice. They are gathered together under a single group be- 

 cause it seems most probable that their occasional utility and of 

 this there can be no question in some instances seems based on a 

 similar reaction that they bring about in the body, i.e., true tissue 

 stimulation and activation, exercising their therapeutic power by alter- 

 ing the reactivity of the whole organism, rather than influencing di- 

 rectly the cause of the pathological process. The following list, ex- 

 tensive though it is, is by no means complete. The various drugs that 

 possibly are useful because of a similar stimulation among them some 

 of the mercury preparations; cinnamic and succinic acids and their 

 salts, formic acid, quinin, the antipyretics, iodin, etc., have not been 

 included because it would lead the discussion too far afield. A large 

 number of other and older methods that at some time in history have 

 been used in medicine and which probably had as the basis of their 

 usefulness the same general reaction, have also been omitted be- 

 cause a discussion of them, other than emphasizing the historical con- 

 tinuity of their employment as nonspecific agents in therapeusis, would 

 have no value. 



THE NONSPECIFIC AGENTS 



COUNTERIRRITANTS 



Cautery Seton Fontanelle Moxa Blister Rubefacient 



BLOOD AND SERUMS 



Normal Human, Horse, Sheep, Beef, Goat, Chicken, etc. 

 Immune Human Convalescent Serum; Antimeningococcus Serum, Anti- 

 dysentery Serum, Antistreptococcus Serum. 

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