THEORIES OF MECHANISM OF REACTION 89 



Weichardt calls attention to the fact that a similar state is to be 

 observed after the use of faradic current (Bergonie). Most likely 

 the stimulation of the lymphatic flow whereby fatigue products are 

 rapidly removed is related to this effect. 



Schittenhelm and Stroebel a number of years ago emphasized the 

 fact that under normal circumstances protein split products do not 

 get into the circulation, that they are foreign to the blood and 

 their presence would be manifest at once in an intoxication. Protein 

 metabolism, reconstruction and molecular rearrangement and deg- 

 radation take place within the cell. In this cellular metabolism 

 the protein split products have a dual effect. In small amounts they 

 irritate (stimulate) the cellular activity. In larger amounts they 

 are depressants. Weichardt's "omnicellular plasmaactivation" means 

 simply that we make use of the same agents- in proper dosage to 

 stimulate and since we use an intravenous route, all the cells of the 

 organism are stimulated at the same time. 



Selective Stimulation. Dollken considers that differences in thera- 

 peutic effect exist between the various nonspecific agents, that some of them 

 stimulate particular organs or organ groups and presents a number of obser- 

 vations to support his contention. In several papers he has pointed out dif- 

 ferences in effects when various bacterial injections are made heterobac- 

 teriotherapy thus pyocyaneus vaccines were found effective in gummas, 

 pseudodiphtheria vaccines were not ; cholera and dysentery vaccine were not 

 effective in neuralgia, while vaccines made up with prodigiosus organisms 

 were very satisfactory. On the other hand neither prodigiosus nor pyo- 

 cyaneus vaccines gave any clinical result in acne, while an autogenous 

 vaccine did. The effects could therefore not be considered identical. 

 When comparing the styptic effect it was noted that the bacterial vaccines 

 were practically without effect whereas milk was very active. ... It was 

 interesting to note, too, that while the local reaction at a focus might be 

 equal for two different substances, the end results might be wholly differ- 

 ent. Thus both prodigiosus vaccine and milk gave equal reactions about 

 arthritic foci, but the clinical results with the prodigiosus vaccine were not 

 good. On the other hand, when treating neuritis the prodigiosus vaccine 

 gave better results than did milk injections. 



Dollken is of the impression that the nonspecific stimulation is not 

 omnicellular as Weichardt has suggested but that certain organs are stimu- 

 lated by different agents to a greater degree than others, these being the 

 liver, spleen, kidney and bone marrow; a decided effect is also obtained 

 on joints, the tissues of the eye and some of the glands and paraglandular 

 structures. Dollken has made the interesting observation that the effect 

 on joints is not merely a bactericidal one, as might be inferred when an 

 infectious arthritis is improved, but even joint inflammations such as 

 those of gout are also relieved, certainly not a bacterial affair. 



Dollken noted that the repeated injections of heterovaccines, milk and 

 similar substances resulted in different reactions. Thus the resistance of 

 the body increases rapidly to further injections of pseudodiphtheria bacilli, 

 to typhoid bacilli and to the bacillus pyocyaneus; the resistance to tuber* 



