ORGANIC POISONS 165 



with the highly specific nature of the immune substances against 

 bacteria and their products. 



As far as we know, no particular increase in the neutralizing 

 substances results from the administration of inorganic or or- 

 ganic poisons. The body does not appear to produce any 

 excessive amounts of sulphuric acid in carbolic-acid poisoning 

 or of glycocoll when ben zoic acid is administered. Both sub- 

 stances are present in the body normally, and as much as is 

 available combines with the poison ; if there is not enough, the 

 remaining poison combines with something else, or goes un- 

 combined. In other words, the neutralizing substances de- 

 scribed above do not appear to be the result of any special 

 adaptation to meet a pathological condition. They are present 

 in the body as a result of normal metabolism ; they have an 

 affinity for various chemical substances, some of which happen 

 to be poisons ; if these poisons happen to enter the body, they 

 may be combined and neutralized to some extent, but, as a rule, 

 very incompletely. There appears to be no elaborate process 

 of defense against the chemically simple poisons, such as seems 

 to be called into action by bacterial infection, and hence a degree 

 of resistance or immunity similar to that present after an attack 

 of scarlet fever or small-pox does not exist for strychnin or 

 phosphorus. 



