284 MICROBES AND TOXINS 



exert a positive chemiotaxis on the leucocytes, e.g., nucleic 

 acid. 



Again, in the method of Bier, which consists in cupping and 

 surrounding with elastic bands to retain a large volume of 

 blood around an abscess, a boil, or other acute infection, it is 

 also the phagocytes which are called upon, for the artificial 

 oedema which is produced is accompanied by an afflux of 

 leucocytes (Schimodaira's experiment). 



Wright's method of vaccino-therapy consists in treating 

 infections by means of inoculations of bacterial bodies (the 

 bacteria of the infection itself), in order to increase the 

 opsonic power of the serum {v. Chap. X.) ; the treatment 

 would not be applicable without the quantitative and quali- 

 tative control in which the phagocytes are employed. 



For some years the study has been going on of those 

 chemical actions capable of stimulating phagocytosis and 

 reinforcing the phagocytes. Weak solutions of quinine 

 (o'oo2 per cent.) increase the phagocytic power, whereas 

 solutions fifty times stronger produce the opposite effect. 

 The peptones have been recognized to be powerful stimulants. 

 According to quite recent experiments, it will be necessary to 

 add to these iodoform and various chemical substances which 

 are soluble in fats, and which doubtless act in virtue of their 

 consequent power of penetrating protoplasm in solution in the 

 lipoids. These substances are true chemical stitnulins. 



It is possible that a new and most interesting chapter is 

 about to open in therapeutics with the discovery of Hamburger 

 among others : the action of certain mineral springs is said 

 to be due to their power of exciting phagocytosis (experiment 

 with the water of the Virchow spring in Wiesbaden). 



Thus, chemistry and physics are far from taking possession 

 of medicine and relegating phagocytosis to the region of pure 

 speculation. On the contrary, the doctrine of phagocytosis, 

 which has already bloomed a second time in the purely 

 biological researches on opsonins and bacteriotropins, plays 

 the premier role still as inspiration and explanation in the 

 study of the chemical therapeutic agents. 



