86 PROTEIN THERAPY 



Weichardt then proceeded to study the pharmacological effects 

 of small and large doses of the various higher molecular groupings 

 of the split products of proteins on individual organs. Small doses 

 were found to stimulate the heart muscles as well as the hematopoietic 

 system, larger doses to reduce the activity. Similar experiments were 

 made on the activation of the mammary glands of goats. A series 

 of goats secreting equal amounts of milk were injected with various 

 amounts of protein split products and the activation of the metabolism, 

 as indicated by the amount of milk secreted, could be studied di- 

 rectly. 



As a result of his researches and clinical experience Weichardt 

 has come to the conclusion that when we make use of nonspecific 

 therapy we stimulate all the cells of the organism to greater activity 

 in the production of either specific substances antibacterial in char- 

 acter or merely increase the general resistance to intoxication by speed- 

 ing up the mechanism of detoxication either synthetic (the forma- 

 tion of conjugate proteins from the toxic forms) or lytic (the degrada- 

 tion of the toxic fragments to the amino-acids) or in some other 

 way hastening the elimination of the intoxicating material. 



In several recent papers he has emphasized a number of points 

 of interest. Thus his general conception that nonspecific therapy is 

 a plasmaactivation a stimulation of the cell metabolism and func- 

 tion, of physiological effort rather than a pharmacologic alteration in 

 the biological processes leads to a correlation with the problem of 

 fatigue, to which he has devoted a considerable study. 



Weichardt, contrary to the theory of Dollken,* considers this stim- 

 ulation or activation as omnicellular. The leukocytosis, the increase 

 of oxidation, of catalysis, the mobilization of enzymes and antibodies 

 all indicate a general rather than a localized stimulation of some 

 particular kind of tissue. 



This stimulation does not involve any alteration in function. The 

 organism by nonspecific reaction acquires no new method of defense, 

 probably does not overcome infection or intoxication through agencies 

 other than those always at its disposal. But the stimulation repre- 

 sents a summation, a cumulative effort of the defensive agencies of 

 all the organs. And as a necessary corollary it is but logical that we 

 can achieve no therapeutic effect when once the organs have by com- 

 plete exhaustion been rendered incapable of reaction, as in terminal 

 stages of disease processes or in profound intoxication, etc. 



While the stimulation does not involve any new method of de- 



* Dollken considers certain proteins and other agents as selective in charac- 

 ter. Thus milk which was found to be more styptic in its effects than vaccines 

 or albumoses, he considers active in this way because of greater stimulation of 

 the liver mobilization of fibrinogen and thrombokinase deutero-albumose being 

 more effective in mobilizing antibodies, etc. It seems probable that while 

 selective differences may exist, a general protoplasmic stimulation is the 

 phenomenon which must primarily be considered. 



