Studies on So-called Protective Ferments. 



43 



digestion is made possible through the liberation of normal 

 proteolytic enzyme. 



We have shown in another paper 3 that the products of such 

 digestion may be toxic and if produced in vivo may cause ana- 

 phylactic symptoms. Considering the close outward resemblance 

 between the anaphylactic shock and the symptom complex in 

 epileptic or eclamptic convulsions and asthmatic attack, we 

 were interested to see if these phenomena depend on actual 

 parenteral digestion and production of anaphylatoxin in the same 

 measure as does anaphylactic shock. 



We have called the attention to the role of antitrypsin in the 

 question of activation of normal protolytic ferments of the blood. 3 

 We have suggested that the combination of antigen with its anti- 

 body is followed by the diminution of antitryptic properties of 

 the blood serum and resulting autodigestion of the serum. 1 We 

 have shown moreover, that the degree of active digestion depends 

 on the amount of antitrypsin present. 4 



Assuming that the phenomena observed in eclampsia, epilepsy, 

 asthma and in similar conditions are due to formation of anaphyla- 

 toxin in vivo through the combinations of antigen with the 

 circulating antibody, we attempted to measure the amount of 

 antitrypsin in the blood during and between the acute symptoms 

 of the disease and thus see if there is any connection between the 

 morbid symptoms and parenteral digestion. During the last 

 eighteen months 5 we made a study of a number of cases of epilepsy, 

 eclampsia, asthma, and idiosyncrasy to certain foods, and our 

 findings convinced us of the causative relations existing between 

 the parenteral digestion and the morbid phenomena. We found 

 moreover that this relation can be measured in the values of 

 antitryptic index. We shall publish the protocols of actual 

 experiments in the near future. 



3 Bronfenbrenner, Penn. State Medical Journ., Oct., 1914; also Journ. Exp. 

 Med., 1915, XXI, p. 480. 



4 Bronfenbrenner, these Proceedings, 1914, XII, p. 6; also Bronfenbrenner, 

 Mitchell and Titus, Bioch. Bull., 1915, No. 13, p. 86. 



6 1 wish to express my great indebtedness to Drs. Freeland, Zugsmith, and 

 Titus, of the Western Pennsylvania Hospital, and to Drs. Hutchinson, Barrett- 

 and White, of Dixmont Hospital for Insane, for very courteous collaboration and 

 selection of cases for these studies. Without their valuable collaboration the work 

 would have been utterly impossible. 



