Resorption of alhumiiioid fluids 119 



one we have described in the case of the injection of gelatine into the 

 peritoneal cavity of guinea-pigs. Thus Morgenroth ^ observed that in 

 his goats the subcutaneous injection of sterile rennet caused the 

 formation of extensive infiltration at the seat of inoculation, this 

 being accompanied by fever ; we are justified in concluding from this 

 that rennet provokes a marked leucocytic reaction. Hildebrandt^ has 

 demonstrated by direct experiment that rennet, when enclosed in 

 capillary glass tubes and introduced below the skin of rabbits, induces 

 a marked positive chemiotaxis. This led to the formation of a leuco- 

 cytic plug several millimetres long. Now we know from Briot that [127] 

 the rabbit is capable of producing antirennet. Hildebrandt has further 

 shown that several other diastases, or hydrolytic ferments, such as 

 sucrase and emulsin, give rise to a similar chemiotactic phenomenon. 

 The leucocytic reaction is consequently a general phenomenon following 

 the introduction into the tissues of substances of complex chemical 

 composition capable of provoking the formation of antibodies. ^Ye 

 are tempted from this fact to accept it as a law that the leucocytes are 

 capable of producing these latter substances. Although this hypo- 

 thesis may be very probable, the number of facts at our disposal is not 

 yet sufficient to justify the statement that its truth is demonstrated. 



Since it is the red corpuscles which are affected by the haemotoxins 

 it might be asked whether it may not be that these elements defend 

 themselves by the production of antihaemotoxins the overplus of 

 which is thrown into the blood and fluids in general ? The researches 

 that have been made on this point relate especially to the antihaemo- 

 toxin of the blood serum of rabbits in relation to the ichthyotoxin of 

 eel's serum. 



We must therefore examine the collected evidence bearing on 

 anticytotoxins and analogous bodies and endeavour to form some idea 

 as to their probable origin. A large accumulation of exact data bear- 

 ing on the antihaemotoxins does not affi)rd us sufficient information as 

 to the source of these substances. 



Let us first examine the question, is it possible to attribute to the 

 red corpuscles the function of producing the antihaemotoxins? If 

 these elements are really the source of the antihaemotoxins it is 

 probable that the red corpuscles of animals whose serum is anti- 

 haemotoxic will exhibit marked resistance to the toxins ; thus we 

 know that the white corpuscles which produce gelatinase digest 



1 CentralU.f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., I*® Abt., Jena, 1899, Bd. xxvi, S. 352. 



2 Vir chow's ArchiVj Berlin, 1893, Bd. cxxxi, S. 5. 



