THE PROBABLE MECHANISM OF THE REACTION 115 



are diminished, tension and pain lessened and restitution to the nor- 

 mal takes place. 



On the other hand we may suppose that the process had already 

 proceeded to the stage of actual destruction of some cellular ele- 

 ments. We bring about the nonspecific reaction at this period. Here 

 the flooding of the area with exudate, the lowering of the antifer- 

 ment, the increase in the proteolytic enzymes will of course accelerate 

 the autolytic processes already commenced. But this digestion will 

 coincidently tend to diminish the acute toxic effect of the split products 

 and other toxic protein material that originally caused the inflamma- 

 tion; solution of the necrotic focus with subsidence of the acutely 

 inflammatory phase of the reaction will result and the further treat- 

 ment by nonspecific injections will merely aid in the absorption of 

 this soluble material from the focus. It becomes clearly evident 

 therefore that the identical reaction may alter an inflammatory focus 

 in seemingly diametrically opposite ways restitution without sup- 

 puration, as well as the acceleration of suppuration with absorption 

 following. 



The Reaction in Inflammation of Nonbacterial Origin. Nor 

 must it be presumed that this process as here depicted holds _true 

 merely for a bacterial process. A similar reaction takes place when 

 we deal with gout and when we deal with a chemical injury such 

 as that following a typical "war gas" effect, as for instance mustard 

 gas. Von den Velden's observations will be of interest in this respect. 



"I had considerable opportunity in the field to study the effect 

 of nonspecific therapy in mustard gas poisoning, being led to try 

 the method not only by the clinical observation but by the autopsy 

 findings as they presented themselves to us. I need but briefly men- 

 tion in this connection that the effects of the gas, as shown in the 

 effects on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, varies from 

 the mildest catarrhal inflammation to widespread and extensive 

 croupous and finally ulcerative changes. In view of the oftentimes 

 decidedly malignant and complicated course of the clinical picture, 

 I endeavored to treat as early as possible the cases in which the 

 toxic manifestations were most severe, or those in which the clinical 

 picture was one becoming progressively worse from day to day, in 

 order to avert the secondary pneumonias and the abscess formation 

 and especially the ominous bronchial stenosis so common a sequel. 

 From my previous experience with nonspecific therapy an early inter- 

 ference by means of an acceleration of the inflammatory processes 

 might be expected to yield very gratifying clinical results. Of course, 

 these might be of purely symptomatic nature. 



"While my experience extended over a larger number, I have 

 recorded observations on approximately 100 cases of gas poisoning 

 treated either with horse serum (5-10 c.c. intravenously), milk (10- 

 20 c,c. intramuscularly) and tetanus antitoxin (5-15 c.c, intrave- 



