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towards the globulin of horse-serum which must be distinctly differentiated 

 from the falsely assumed "anaphylaxis" towards pollen-albumen. Generally 

 speaking, such symptoms of irritation are of a much milder character 

 than those produced by the toxin of pollen, and it is therefore advisable 

 in cases of this kind not to discontinue the use of pollantin. 



We may here refer to the pronouncement of Risel 1 ), who refers as 

 follows to these symptoms of irritation, which are known as "serum- 

 disease" and have also been observed in diphtheria- and other serums. 

 Risel says: "Clinical experience has shown the objections against the 

 repeated application of serum to be rather groundless. When serum is 

 introduced repeatedly the antitoxins also begin to act and the manifestations 

 of serum-disease are usually of such a short duration and so slight that 

 they may be regarded rather as a disagreable accompaniment of serum 

 therapy than as a danger which may reduce or even neutralise the value 

 of the serum treatment." It could not be foreseen that this symptom, 

 which has long been a familiar one in connection with hypodermically- 

 applied serums, would also occur with pollantin, which is applied exter- 

 nally, but it must be regarded as a proof of the analogy which exists 

 between the manner in which the different serums act. Fortunately the 

 symptoms described occur only in a small minority of patients, and it 

 may therefore be taken as established that the antitoxic, curative principle 

 of pollantin exerts its action first, and the irritant principle afterwards, if at all. 



The mode of treatment which should be followed in serious cases 

 of anaphylactic irritation caused by horse-serum is shown in an exchange 

 of correspondence between a patient and Prof. Dunbar which is reproduced 

 textually in the beforementioned paper by Albrecht 2 ). A preliminary ex- 

 periment with normal serum having established the existence of hyper- 

 sensitiveness, the symptoms of hay-fever were removed by the application 

 of a pollantin (Pollantin R) which contains more than the usual proportion 

 of sugar-of-milk. In all such cases the utmost care should be taken to 

 follow exactly the directions for the administration of the remedy down 

 to the smallest detail, and always to use only a very little pollantin. 



Albrecht regarded it as probable that in the pollantin-treatment, in 

 addition to the passive immunisation (which, judging by the general ex- 

 perience with other serums can only be of short duration, especially 

 when, as in hay-fever, re-infection, or rather re-intoxication, always occurs), 

 there is also introduced an active immunisation, which, in principle, may 

 result in a permanent cure. This theory is confirmed by more recent 

 experiments by Dunbar. This investigator discovered that during the 

 hay-fever season, the blood-serum of hay-fever patients, possesses well- 

 defined properties which point to the presence of certain anti-bodies. For 



*) Therapeut. Monatsh. 25 (1911), 32. 



3 ) We shall be pleased to supply reprints free of charge upon application. 



