56 



Scientific Proceedings (71). 



of the antitryptic index in a series of cases of eclampsia. These 

 measurements revealed the fact that in all cases of eclampsia the 

 patients show a very low antritryptic index. In cases where the 

 surgical intervention took place, the antitryptic index shows very 

 marked rise after the emptying of the uterus. 



In cases where the convulsions were intermittent, spaced with 

 periods of comparative rest, a very noticeable curve of antitrypsin 

 in the blood could be established. The lowest points on this curve 

 corresponded very suggestively with the convulsions. It is the 

 high amount of antitripysin in the blood, which is so characteristic 

 in normal pregnancy, that prevents usually the excessive auto- 

 digestion and resulting eclampsia. In abnormal cases, where the 

 antitrypsin is unusually low, or, where the elimination is insuf- 

 ficient, or where both conditions are present at the same time, the 

 general intoxication occurs. 



A critical review of the methods of empirical treatment seems 

 to me to offer considerable additional support to the above sug- 

 gestion of the etiology of eclampsia. The methods of treatment 

 of eclampsia may be considered under four headings: (1) Ad- 

 ministration of anesthetics and sedatives, such as ether, chloro- 

 form, morphin, chloral, and similar drugs. (2) Serum treatment. 

 (3) Eliminative treatment. (4) Surgical treatment. 



Experiments carried out in this laboratory 8 ' 5 have shown that 

 the administration of anesthetics and sedatives is followed by a 

 more or less pronounced rise of antitrypsin in experimental 

 animals, thus suggesting the possibility that the therapeutic value 

 of these substances might be dependent on their ability to cause 

 the rise of antitrypsin. 



As for the serum treatment, Wolff 10 suggested that the thera- 

 peutic value of the injection of the serum from normal pregnant 

 individuals, has a decided therapeutic effect, which is due to the 

 specific protective ferments contained in the injected serum. The 

 fact, however, that on the one hand normal human serum from 

 non-pregnant individuals, as well as normal horse serum, were 

 both successfully used for this purpose; 11 on the other hand, our 



8 Bronfenbrenner, Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol, and Med., 1915, XII, p. no. 

 • Bronfenbrenner and Schlesinger, Journ. Exp. Med. (in press). 



10 Wolff, Berl. klin. Woch., 1913, No. 13, p. 1661. 



11 Freund, Deut. med. Woch., 1913, No. 24, p. 1179. 



