ANTITOXINS 13 



Experimental Evidence for Ehrlictis Theory. 

 According to Ehrlich, then, the formation of specific 

 antibodies must proceed in three stages: 



1. The binding of the haptophore group to the 

 receptor. 



2. The increased production of the receptors 

 following this binding. 



3. The thrusting-off of these increased receptors 

 into the blood. 



So far as the first point is concerned Wassermann * 

 showed that with tetanus, in which, as is well 

 known, all the symptoms are referable to the cen- 

 tral nervous system, tetanus toxin was bound by 

 central nervous system substance in vitro. A 

 mixture of tetanus poison and normal central 

 nervous system was innocuous to animals, showing 

 that certain substances present in the central 

 nervous system combine with and thus satisfy the 

 affinity of the haptophore group of the poison. 

 This of course prevents the latter from combining 

 with any cells of the organism. Organs other than 

 the central nervous system do not possess this 

 property of combining with tetanus poison, just 

 as the central nervous system is, on the contrary, 

 incapable of combining with diphtheria poison, 

 which clinically does not show any pronounced 

 affinity for the central nervous system. 



Wassermann 2 also believes recently to have given 



1 Wassermann and Takaki, Berliner Klin. Wochenschr, 1898. 

 * Wassermann, New York Medical Journal, 1904. 



