88 IMMUNE SERA 



serum of A find fitting receptors in species B. We 

 shall then obtain an anticomplement serum which 

 inhibits the action of some, but not of all the com- 

 plements of species A. Thus it might inhibit the 

 action of a complement fitting to a certain bacteri- 

 cidal immune body and not of one contained in the 

 same serum which fitted a certain hasmolytic im- 

 mune body, etc. 



Auto-anticomplements . A question of great prac- 

 tical importance now arises. Is it possible under 

 certain conditions for an organism to manufac- 

 ture within itself anticomplements against its 

 own complements, i.e., auto -anticomplements ? The 

 complements, owing to their ferment-like digestive 

 power, must play an important role in the living 

 organism; for this concerns itself not only with the 

 destruction of bacteria, etc., an important factor in 

 the natural immunity against diseases, but also, 

 according to Ehrlich, Buchner, and Wassermann, 

 with the solution and digestion of all kinds of foreign 

 albuminous bodies which enter the organism. Any 

 inhibition of this important function would there- 

 fore be followed by severe disturbances, particu- 

 larly, however, by a decreased resistance against 

 infectious diseases. Wassermann succeeded in dem- 

 onstrating that animals injected with anti -comple- 

 ments to tie up their complements were much less 

 resistant to certain infectious diseases. 



The spontaneous development in an animal of 



