Studies on So-Called Protective Ferments. 



57 



recent findings, showing that there are no specific ferments in 

 pregnancy, 5 ' 12 exclude the explanation given by Wolff. It is 

 known, however, that every normal serum is antitryptic, and 

 especially during pregnancy the antitryptic titer of the serum is 

 very high. Therefore, it is possible that the therapeutic value of 

 such serum depends on its antitryptic property. 



Eliminative treatment and surgical intervention remove 

 respectively the toxic split products of autodigestion, and the 

 source of the invading material, which alone sufficiently explains 

 their action. 



Considered from the above point of view, the relation between 

 the etiological factors involved and the clinical treatment of 

 eclampsia may be thus graphically represented: 



table. 



Gestation — Antibody Formation. 

 I 



Antibody Formation Normal 



Normal Pregnancy. 



I 



Antibody Formation Deficient. 

 Formation of various amounts of 

 toxic split products. 

 I 



Early Symptoms of Toxemia. 



Good Elimination. 

 Sufficient Antitryp. Deficient Antitryp. 



Slow autodiges- 

 tion. Poisons 

 eliminated. 



Symptoms very 

 mild. 



No treatment. 



Autodigestion pro- 

 nounced. Poisons 

 eliminated. 



Symptoms more 

 marked. Possible 

 involvement of 

 liver and kidneys. 



Antitryptic serum 

 treatment. 



Poor Elimination. 

 Sufficient Antitryp. Deficient Antitryp. 



Slow autodiges- 

 tion. 



Mild symptoms. 



Possible involve- 

 ment of liver and 

 kidneys. 



Eliminative treat- 

 ment. 



Marked 

 tion. 



autodiges- 



Severe symptoms. 



Acute involvement 

 of liver and kid- 

 neys. 



Combined a n t i - 

 tryptic and elimi- 

 native treatment. 



Possibly surgical 

 intervention. 



lJ Bronfenbrenner, Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol, and Med., 1914, XII, p. 3. 



