28 PROTEIN THERAPY 



They found that in cats the injection of from 1 to 2 mg. per kilo, was 

 followed by a marked fall in blood pressure, there was a clumping of the 

 blood platelets (for the significance of the clumping of blood platelets and 

 its bearing on anaphylaxis the article of v. Behring is of interest), a leuko- 

 penia the leukocytes stick to the lining of the vessels and in a relative 

 polycythemia with increased viscosity. These latter changes are due to the 

 increased permeability of the capillaries, as a result of which they esti- 

 mated that about 40 per cent, of the plasma was lost from the vascular bed. 



ENZYMES 



Trypsin. A method that was considerably exploited some years 

 ago was the so-called Enzyme Treatment of cancer, advocated by 

 Beard, which consisted in the subcutaneous injection of a trypsin 

 solution. It is very problematical whether any malignant disease 

 was ever actually cured by the injections; focal reactions were of 

 course noted, with a diminution of the size of the larger tumors be- 

 cause of the increase in the autolytic processes in the neoplasm. The 

 injection was practically always followed by a general reaction on 

 the part of the patient, evidenced by the chill, sweating and tempera- 

 ture rise. After this acute reaction the patient would have several 

 days of relative comfort. Amylopsin was usually combined with the 

 trypsin for injection. 



Leukocytic Extracts. Leukocytes contain antibacterial substances 

 (Moxter, Petterson, Schneider) and an effort was made to utilize 

 this property therapeutic ally. Petterson used leukocytic extracts in 

 dogs that were at the same time injected with anthrax bacilli; there 

 was evidence of an increased resistance. Later he used a similar 

 method in testing the increased resistance of guinea pigs treated with 

 leukocytic extracts and infected with typhoid bacilli. Opie made 

 similar experiments with dogs and later Hiss, and Hiss and Zinsser 

 carried the method to actual trial in human infectious diseases. 

 Leukocytes were as a rule obtained from rabbits, washed and sus- 

 pended in distilled water. Usually the entire suspension was in- 

 jected. Leukocytic extracts have been used in the treatment of 

 pneumonia, staphyococcus infections, erysipelas, etc., with apparently 

 favorable results. 



Considering the enzyme content of the polymorphonuclear leu- 

 kocyte it seems probable that the injection really represents a mix- 

 ture of enzyme and heterologous protein, as far as the patient is 

 concerned; the injection is followed by a leukocytosis (Alexander), 

 but otherwise with little general constitutional reaction. Leukocytic 

 extracts have been placed on the market for therapeutic use, and 

 Archibald and Moore, Leonard and Harmer have published results 

 obtained after the injection of leukocytic extracts. Tunnicliff, who 

 has recently studied the effect of leukocyte injections, finds that the 

 leukocytosis that is observed after the injection persists for from 



