THE NONSPECIFIC REACTION 61 



the leukocytic response, still others deny the leukocyte any role in 

 the mechanism of recovery by nonspecific methods. The problem is 

 one of considerable importance and it may be well to consider the 

 facts that have been reported. 



Scully studied the leukocytosis in some detail. In his arthritic 

 cases treated with typhoid vaccine injected intravenously, the injec- 

 tion was first followed by a leukopenia (the leukocytes dropping from 

 an average of 14,000 to about 5,000), following this the process would 

 be reversed and a leukocytosis make its appearance. This would 

 frequently reach 30,000 or 40,000; in one case the count was 62,000. 

 When subsequent injections were made the reaction was usually less 

 marked. 



In the primary leukopenia Scully found that the absolute number 

 of polymorphonuclear leukocytes decreased, rising later from the nor- 

 mal of about 60% to over 90% of the total. Scully found that the 

 large mononuclears were decreased during the first three hours, but 

 after that again maintained their normal proportion. The lym- 

 phocytes were relatively and absolutely decreased, as were the eosino- 

 philes, although these latter at times showed a slight increase later. 



Rohonyi found that the leukocytes increased following typhoid vac- 

 cine injections but that the leukocytosis bore no relation to the thera- 

 peutic effect obtained. He also noted that there was some increase 

 in eosinophiles. Gow also studied the blood cytology in the cases 

 that he treated with heterovaccines and peptone injections. He ob- 

 served the primary leukopenia which involved all elements and noted 

 that after one hour the polymorphonuclear leukocytes still outnum- 

 bered the lymphocytes but that from that time on the young forms 

 of neutrophils became more abundant (the neutrophils with un- 

 divided nuclei outnumbered those with divided nuclei). After 72 

 hours he was of the impression that preinjection conditions were re- 

 stored. During the height of the leukocytic reaction his counts 

 averaged from 20,000 to 30,000 and myelocytes and normoblasts were 

 to be observed. 



Holler and Weiss studied the leukocytosis that was to be ob- 

 served after milk injections, as did also Schmidt and Kaznelson. The 

 latter observers found a very slight increase in the eosinophiles after 

 the first stages of the reaction had subsided. Their observations on 

 the lymphocytes would lead one to believe that the effect on these 

 blood elements was more protracted than Gow's observations would 

 indicate. They state that they were increased over the normal for 

 a period of several days after the polymorphonuclear leukocytes 

 had reached preinjection figures. 



Schmidt and Kaznelson have grouped the leukocytic reaction that 

 follows parenteral milk injection into three classes. They observed 

 first a group in which a primary leukopenia was followed by a leu- 

 kocytosis consisting largely of polymorphonuclear neutrophils. In 



