﻿132 
  

  

  Dr. 
  H. 
  H. 
  Dale. 
  

  

  supplied 
  also 
  the 
  evidence 
  advanced 
  in 
  support 
  of 
  other 
  theories, 
  which 
  

   have 
  largely 
  displaced 
  this 
  conception 
  in 
  the 
  estimation 
  of 
  investigators 
  on 
  

   the 
  continent 
  of 
  Europe, 
  and, 
  to 
  a 
  less 
  degree, 
  in 
  America. 
  A 
  very 
  large 
  

   proportion 
  of 
  the 
  vast 
  literature 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  is 
  devoted 
  to 
  their 
  support 
  

   and 
  elaboration. 
  Before 
  dealing 
  with 
  these 
  alternative 
  conceptions, 
  it 
  is 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  give 
  some 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  physiological 
  mechanism 
  of 
  the 
  

   poisonous 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  antigen 
  on 
  the 
  anaphylactic 
  animal. 
  

  

  The 
  complex 
  of 
  symptoms, 
  often 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  the 
  anaphylactic 
  shock, 
  

   differs 
  widely 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  species 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  observed, 
  though 
  

   the 
  symptoms 
  in 
  each 
  species 
  are 
  fairly 
  constant. 
  In 
  the 
  guinea-pig 
  the 
  

   picture 
  is 
  dominated 
  by 
  an 
  asphyxiating 
  obstruction 
  of 
  the 
  respiration,* 
  due 
  

   to 
  contraction 
  of 
  the 
  plain 
  muscle 
  surrounding 
  the 
  bronchial 
  tubes, 
  which 
  

   produces 
  a 
  valve-like 
  closure 
  of 
  the 
  lumen,-)- 
  so 
  that 
  air 
  can 
  be 
  sucked 
  into 
  

   the 
  chest 
  by 
  violent 
  effort, 
  but 
  cannot 
  again 
  be 
  expelled. 
  In 
  the 
  dog 
  the 
  

   main 
  characteristic 
  is 
  a 
  profound 
  fall 
  of 
  blood-pressure, 
  with 
  congestion 
  and 
  

   hsemorrhagic 
  oedema 
  of 
  the 
  alimentary 
  mucous 
  membranes.^ 
  The 
  liver 
  in 
  

   this 
  species 
  becomes 
  enormously 
  swollen 
  and 
  congested, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   shown, 
  by 
  Manwaring§ 
  and 
  others, 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  blood 
  is 
  diverted 
  from 
  the 
  

   liver, 
  the 
  general 
  effects 
  on 
  the 
  circulation 
  are 
  weak 
  or 
  absent. 
  In 
  the 
  

   rabbit 
  the 
  central 
  feature 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  heart. 
  There 
  are, 
  in 
  

   addition, 
  certain 
  features 
  common 
  to 
  all 
  species, 
  if 
  the 
  fatal 
  termination 
  is 
  

   postponed 
  long 
  enough 
  to 
  permit 
  their 
  appearance 
  — 
  flushing 
  and 
  irritation 
  of 
  

   the 
  skin, 
  loss 
  or 
  impairment 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  coagulability 
  of 
  the 
  blood, 
  

   scarcity 
  of 
  leucocytes 
  and 
  agglutination 
  of 
  the 
  blood 
  platelets, 
  and 
  rapid 
  fall 
  

   of 
  body 
  temperature 
  owing 
  to 
  depression 
  of 
  the 
  metabolism. 
  The 
  differences, 
  

   however, 
  are 
  very 
  striking, 
  and 
  would 
  be 
  puzzling, 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  that 
  the 
  

   contrasted 
  symptoms 
  represent, 
  in 
  each 
  case, 
  the 
  characteristic 
  reaction 
  of 
  

   the 
  species 
  to 
  a 
  large 
  class 
  of 
  poisonous 
  proteins 
  and 
  protein 
  derivatives 
  — 
  

   peptones, 
  protamines, 
  bacterial 
  proteins, 
  and 
  various 
  extracts 
  of 
  animal 
  

   organs. 
  The 
  main 
  features 
  in 
  each 
  case 
  — 
  asphyxiating 
  bronchial 
  spasm 
  in 
  

   the 
  guinea-pig, 
  collapse 
  of 
  the 
  circulation 
  in 
  the 
  dog 
  — 
  were 
  found 
  by 
  Laidlaw 
  

   and 
  myselfll 
  to 
  be 
  produced 
  also 
  by 
  the 
  organic 
  base, 
  amino-ethyl-glyoxaline, 
  

   produced 
  from 
  the 
  diamino-acid 
  histidine 
  by 
  decarboxylation, 
  and 
  usually 
  

   known 
  as 
  " 
  histamine." 
  More 
  recently, 
  with 
  the 
  co-operation 
  of 
  Prof. 
  

  

  * 
  Auer 
  and 
  Lewis, 
  ' 
  Journ. 
  Exp. 
  Med.,' 
  vol. 
  12, 
  p. 
  151 
  (1910) 
  ; 
  Biedl 
  and 
  Kraus, 
  

   ' 
  Wien. 
  klin. 
  Wochenschr.,' 
  No. 
  23, 
  p. 
  385 
  (1910). 
  

  

  f 
  Anderson 
  and 
  Schultz, 
  'Proc. 
  Soc. 
  Exp. 
  Biol, 
  and 
  Med.,' 
  vol. 
  7, 
  p. 
  32 
  (1910) 
  ; 
  Schultz 
  

   and 
  Jordan, 
  ' 
  Journ. 
  Pharmacol, 
  and 
  Exp. 
  Therap.,' 
  vol. 
  2, 
  p. 
  375 
  (1911). 
  

  

  I 
  Biedl 
  and 
  Kraus, 
  ' 
  Wien. 
  klin. 
  Wochenschr.,' 
  No. 
  23, 
  p. 
  363 
  (1909). 
  

  

  § 
  ' 
  Zeitschr. 
  f. 
  Immun.,' 
  vol. 
  8, 
  p. 
  1 
  (1910). 
  

  

  || 
  ' 
  Journ. 
  of 
  Physiol.,' 
  vol. 
  41, 
  p. 
  318 
  (1910). 
  

  

  