﻿78 FREER. 



union with the cell, with the other with the complement, and the latter 

 causes the reaction rapidly to take place. 



The immune body (or in the case of toxins the haptophore group) has 

 therefore been termed the "sensitizer" which renders the cell capable of 

 destruction by the enzyme-like complement (or toxophore group), and it 

 has been compared to a mordant. This comparison does not seem to me 

 to be aptly chosen, for the fiber and mordant behave toward each other as 

 two colloids of opposite polarity, 2 the mordant is absorbed by the fiber 

 without apparent chemical union, the fiber itself is not thereby rendered 

 more reactive. The mordant acts independently toward the dye and here 

 also we probably have colloidal absorption. The relations between fiber, 

 mordant and dye are therefore largely governed by physical causes. 

 However, in the case of immune body, complement (or toxophore group) 

 and cell the latter is profoundhy altered or destroyed — the destruction 

 appearing closely to resemble the processes of hydrolysis, the immune body 

 apparently serving to bring the enz}Tne-like complement or toxophore 

 group in closer space relation to the cell, so that one should scarcely speak 

 of either as the sensitizer, but should rather term the complement the 

 accelerator. The change somewhat reminds one of the different stereo- 

 chemical relations present in the formation of lactones from the halogen- 

 substituted fatty acids and some years ago 3 I demonstrated that in these 

 reactions we can have the chemical reactivity influenced by two factors, 

 one taking place through the carbon chain, the other through space. In 

 connection with this view of catalytic action it is interesting to note that 

 Kyes and Sachs 4 in studying the acceleration of the hemolytic action 

 of cobra venom by lecithin have shown that the more snake venom is 

 used, the less lecithin is necessary to effect complete haemolysis and vice 

 versa, the more lecithin, the less venom need be used for the minimal 

 complete!}' solvent dose. 



It will be seen from the above that the proliferation of immune bodies 

 according to this view is brought about by a disturbance of equilibrium 

 within the cell, that, therefore the production of immune bodies is a 

 normal process accelerated by the introduction of the foreign cell. Under 

 undisturbed conditions of equilibrium these or similar immune bodies are 

 also most certainly being given off, but owing to their gradual prolifera- 

 tion, they undoubtedly disappear without causing a change in the normal 

 equilibrium. By the introduction of the foreign cell, however, the rate 

 of the reaction is altered so as to throw a large amount of these immune 

 bodies into the circulation at one time. This production of immune 

 bodies, therefore, has much the appearance of catalysis, where the cataly- 

 zer which proliferates the immune body is generated within the body cell 

 itself. 



2 W. Biltz: Bet: d. chem. Ges. (1904) 37, 1766. 

 'Ann, Chem. (Liebig) (1901) 319, 345. 

 4 Berl. Klin. Wchnsch. (1903), 40, 21. 



