114 REPORT OF SCHIMMEL & Co. APRIL 1914. 
solutions, but this disappeared before the winter. It is probable that these are sporadic 
cases, and that in any event they are not utilisable for estimating the value of the 
serum. Dunbar was, however, able to prove that pollen-extract, and pollen antitoxic 
serum, actually react together in a specific manner; this proof being afforded by the 
complementary uniting-test. This symptom was also observed in the blood of a few 
patients, and it also disappeared again before the winter. 
Chemical examination of the antitoxic serum’) by Dunbar, Prausnitz and Kammann 
resulted first of all in the discovery that the protective substances of the serum are 
combined with the fraction of the euglobulin of serum albumen. These bodies are very 
susceptible to heat, a previously neutral mixture of toxin-solution and antitoxic serum, 
when warmed for half an hour to 75°, again exhibiting irritant powers, although in a 
less pronounced degree than those of the toxin-solution alone. The observation that 
increasing quantities of rye-pollen toxin solution do not require equally rising quantities 
of serum in order to prevent irritant action, but much larger quantities, was particularly 
striking, because it did not agree with previous experience. This fact, however, was 
observed both by Dunbar and by Prausnitz. It is true, however, that Kammann had 
previously found that in cases of acquired sensitiveness to ambrosia pollen toxin 
equal quantities of the toxic substance were neutralised by equal quantities of serum, 
this fact being in agreement with the law of multiple proportions which applies to 
genuine toxins’). Prausnitz first recognised that the cause of this abnormal behaviour 
of rye-pollen toxin and its antitoxin was the smaller avidity of the haptines of horse- 
serum for the toxin as compared with the avidity of the receptors of the patient’s - 
serum; part of the toxin remains dissociated in the mixture and requires for its 
neutralisation fresh supplies of serum. Other investigators drew from this abnormal 
behaviour the conclusion that the poison of rye-pollen was not a true toxin but an 
endotoxin, and the antitoxic serum no antitoxin but a cytolytic amboceptor. If this 
theory were correct, the bringing-together of the two substances in question with the 
complement body of the serum must be attended by dissolution of the pollen-cells, 
that is to say, in lieu of a neutralisation of the toxin the reverse must take place, 
namely an increase of toxic action. But Prausnitz showed that this supposed increase 
in solubility of the pollen under the influence of antitoxic serum is not founded on fact; 
the pollen is not more soluble in antitoxic serum than in normal serum, inactive serum, 
or other human or animal body-fluids. In opposition to this view, the opinion was put 
forward that it was not the pollen-cells, but the albumin of the pollen-substance which 
was dissolved by the serum and built down to a poison by chemical processes; and 
that the pollen-cells were of themselves non-poisonous, but were split up into toxic sub- 
stances by the aid of the antibody and of the complement which is to be found in every 
normal serum. This theory involves the existence of a parallel between hay-fever and 
the condition of hyper-sensitiveness known as anaphylaxy; and as a matter of fact, 
hay-fever has in many quarters been directly described as an anaphylactic symptom, 
a view which, in Prausnitz’ opinion, is supported by many arguments well worthy of 
attention, which he discusses seriatim. On the other hand, Prausnitz does not dis- 
guise from himself that other facts may be explained as opposed to the anaphylactic 
theory of hay-fever, and in the end he concludes that the experiments which have 
been undertaken so far make it impossible at present to decide whether hay-fever is 
a disease of intoxication or an anaphylactic manifestation. Prausnitz sums up the © 
1) This is our Pollantin, which is available in the form of powder, liquid serum, or ointment. — ?) See 
abstract on p. 117. ae 
